A member of the UC Davis Fire Department will leave campus tonight (Sept. 9) for an assignment as a fireline EMT on the Garnet Fire in the Sierra National Forest in Fresno County, Fire Chief Nate Hartinger said.

That staffer works as a captain on campus but will serve as an EMT during the deployment, Hartinger said.

That blaze is nearly 55,000 acres and is 14 percent contained, the U.S. Forest Service said today. It was caused by a lightning strike, and more than 2,000 personnel are currently part of the response, the Forest Service said.

Other UC Davis staffers returned to campus recently after helping to fight the Pickett Fire in Napa County.