Gillespie base camp winding down

With the Harris fire now fully contained, the Gillespie Field base camp in El Cajon is winding down. There are about 2,000 people there today, including firefighters and support personnel, compared with nearly 2,500 Monday.

Firefighters in fire trucks patiently waited this morning in a single-file line to be checked out by mechanics before heading home. A fire truck with no obvious problems takes about a half-hour to examine, said Mendocino fire Capt. Ben Nicholls.

In the center of the camp, firefighters from Washington, Idaho, South Dakota and San Jose could be found washing their rigs, cleaning up, eating and hanging out. Many were waiting for the call that -- at least in San Diego County -- their work was done.

-Sharon A. Heilbrunn, news assistant