When Eric Ornelas, a Career Technical Education teacher at Grace Davis High School, returned to his classroom last week, he didn’t just bring lesson plans — he brought firsthand experience from the front lines of the second most destructive wildfire in California history. A Keyes Fire Protection District captain, Ornelas, was recently deployed as part of a strike team to battle the Eaton Fire in Southern California. After eight grueling days on the fire lines, he’s back in Modesto, sharing the realities of fire service with his Fire Science students.
“It’s one thing to teach about fire behavior and emergency response from a book, but it’s another to come back from an active wildfire and tell students exactly what it was like, what worked, what didn’t, and how it felt to be there,” Ornelas said. “I want them to understand the real-world challenges they could face if they choose this career path.”
A Hero’s Welcome
When Ornelas walked into his classroom, his students greeted him with a heartfelt surprise, a handmade "Welcome Back Cap" card signed by each of them. On the front, they thanked him for fighting the fire and being a hero to so many.
“That meant a lot to me,” Ornelas said. “It’s moments like that that remind you why you do what you do—not just as a firefighter, but as a teacher. Seeing that appreciation from my students was incredible.”
The Scope of the Eaton Fire
The Eaton Fire ignited just hours after the Palisades fire on January 7, rapidly expanding near homes backed up against the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles. Driven by dry conditions and powerful Santa Ana winds, with gusts exceeding 70 miles per hour, the wildfire spread at an alarming pace, forcing thousands to evacuate as flames raced through Los Angeles County communities, including Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre. According to CalFire, the more than 14,000-acre fire is now 100% percent contained after nearly a month of burning, but the devastation it left behind is staggering:
Nearly 9,500 structures were destroyed, with another 1,000+ damaged
17 lives were lost
9 Firefighters were injured
All evacuation orders have been lifted, allowing residents to return and assess what remains of their homes and communities.
Ornelas, who has served the Keyes community for 10 years and has fought large, fast-moving wildfires such as the Camp Fire in Paradise, said the whipping winds in Southern California made containment efforts of the Eaton Fire incredibly difficult, creating dangerous and unpredictable fire conditions.
“The wind was the biggest challenge,” Ornelas said. “It kept shifting, which made it erratic and dangerous. We weren’t hiking through mountains or difficult terrain like in some wildfires where I’ve been deployed—we were moving through neighborhoods, trying to protect homes that were still standing. It was really eye-opening.”
Ornelas’ deployment was part of a coordinated effort that included firefighters from Keyes, Modesto, Woodland Avenue, Clements, Lathrop-Manteca, and Ebbets Pass Fire Departments. The 20-person strike team arrived at the Eaton Fire just as it began devastating neighborhoods. The team quickly got to work, knocking down flames, preventing embers from igniting new fires, mopping up hot spots, and reinforcing containment lines.
Bringing the Fire Line to the Classroom
Back at Davis High School, Ornelas is showing his students photos and videos captured by his strike team and news agencies, giving them a firsthand look at what it’s like to fight an active wildfire.
“They get to see the conditions we faced—how quickly the fire moved, how the winds affected our strategy, and what it looks like when entire neighborhoods are burning,” Ornelas said. “It’s one thing to hear about it, but when they see it, it really puts things into perspective.”
The visuals bring the reality of firefighting into focus, reinforcing the challenges and risks of the job.
The Importance of Evacuation Orders
As part of his return to the classroom, Ornelas is also reinforcing the importance of evacuation orders, a lesson underscored by what he witnessed in Southern California.
“A lot of people don’t take evacuation orders seriously enough,” he explained. “They wait until it’s too late, and then suddenly, they’re stuck in gridlock, trying to escape when the fire is already there."
A Surprise Visit from a UFC Legend
During a rare break from firefighting duties, Ornelas and his team received an unexpected visitor—Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell. The former light heavyweight champion stopped by to thank the strike team for battling the fire and protecting the community.
“It was unexpected but really cool,” Ornelas said. “He just wanted to show his appreciation and tell us how much our work meant to the people there. Moments like that remind you how much the community values what we do.”
A Career Path for Future Firefighters
He and his students are discussing fire suppression strategies, emergency response tactics, and even the role of inmate hand crews—an often-overlooked but crucial part of wildfire containment. Ornelas experienced this firsthand at the Eaton fire, where an inmate crew worked alongside his strike team.
“My students asked me about the inmate hand crews, how much they get paid, and what role they play,” Ornelas said. “I told them about the crew that was right there with us, putting in the same hard work, doing the same dangerous job.”
Having worked on numerous wildfire incidents over his career, Ornelas sees firefighting not just as a job but as a calling. Through his teaching, he hopes to inspire the next generation of firefighters.
“If firefighting piques their interest, I encourage them to get involved—join the Modesto Fire Explorer Program, volunteer, go through a fire academy,” he said. “You never know where it might take you.”
For now, though, he’s grateful to be back in the classroom—teaching not just from textbooks but from real, personal experience.
“I have about 40 students in my Fire Science I and II classes, and most of them are interested in becoming firefighters or working in public safety, so this information is very helpful to them,” said Ornelas.
