Sonora CHP Officers Spring Into Action To Stop A Fire

Published Oct 7, 2026 2:48 pm

Vegetation fire off Gunsight Road in Columbia—Sonora CHP bodycam

Columbia, CA—The Sonora CHP commends two officers for going above and beyond to keep the community of Columbia safe by responding quickly to a fire.

While on patrol last week around 11 p.m., two Sonora Area CHP officers, Eli Dillon and Ryan Johnson, were alerted to the start of a nearby vegetation fire along Gunsight Road near the Covington Mine Road intersection and proceeded to that area. After quickly locating the blaze, the image box photo and one of the officers’ bodycam videos show how the flames were spreading rapidly across the brush and under trees, heading towards the community of Columbia and the college.

The officers, armed only with a fire extinguisher and shovel, went to work on the flames, spraying the foam and using dirt to cover the flames, until fire personnel arrived on the scene and extinguished it. CHP officials praised, “The actions of these officers definitely prevented a far more serious situation. Great job!”