Local area fire departments lent a hand to firefighters at Travis AFB, Calif., where an eight-alarm fire Aug. 16 destroyed nearly 200 uninhabited housing units, according to an Aug. 17 base release. The fire began about 3 p.m. and continued until around 3 a.m., consuming 167 units and damaging another 11 before firefighters brought it under control. All the units were empty and marked for demolition, which Travis fire chief John Speakman said made the “job a bit easier so we could focus on preventing embers from hitting the occupied houses.” High winds kept the fire raging over 12.4 acres.
The Air Force recently released an updated policy implementing the Pentagon’s new guidance on troops’ religious accommodation requests. The new policy emphasizes the role commanders play in reviewing such requests, limiting the role of chaplains and eliminating special boards meant to advise leaders.