Time flies for Kaleb Krogen when he's out with his crew mates fighting wildfires. The 20-year-old Sequoia man doesn't have time to get bored.

For 11 days, Krogen and 26 other firefighters have been assigned to the Oak 2 Strike Team, one of many teams charged with fighting the massive Zaca fire. As of Thursday evening, the blaze had burned through 232,449 acres, making it the second largest fire in California history. Fire officials hope to have it fully contained by Sept. 7.

The Oak 2 Strike Team arrived at the Zaca fire Aug. 14, 42 days after it started on privately owned land 9 miles north of Santa Barbara.

When they're not on the fire line, team members often return to the Live Oak campground next to the rugged Santa Ynez Mountains south of Lake Cachuma. They sleep in tents on the hard ground. They're expected to be up at 5 a.m. to await the day's orders.

"We never know what we're going to do until we get our orders for the day," Dalton Workman, 22, told a reporter on Tuesday, one of the few days he wasn't on the fire line.

As with Krogen, Workman works for the U.S. Forest Service out of the Sequoia National Park.

Workman and his crew mates don't mind being out on the fire line in the smoke and heat. It's the waiting around on days like Tuesday that's the hard part.

The team was put on watch and ordered to stay at the campground Tuesday in case the fire flared up along its southern or western flank.

"When you're sitting around like today, it's easy to start thinking about home," Krogen said.

As with all the firefighters on the Zaca blaze, members of the Oak 2 Strike Team could be assigned to the wildfire for up to 14 days.

Team members would then be given two days off before being ordered back.

When they're assigned to a fire, they can work up to 16 hours before getting any rest.

"We're given one hour off for every two that we work," said Onie Elizondo, 34, another U.S. Forest Service firefighter out of Sequoia.

All of the firefighters carry a pack on their backs when they go to a fire. The pack contains plenty of water, a first aid kit, a head lamp, batteries, flares, a radio, food, a space blanket, a hooded sweatshirt, toilet paper, a pup tent to crawl into in case the fire overruns them, gloves and safety glasses.

The packs weighs 35 to 45 pounds or more.

To stay in shape, crew members go on long hikes and runs through rough and hilly terrain for six or seven miles with the packs on their backs.

"It's really important that we stay in shape," said Mike Brown, 50, a member of the Lompoc Fire Department.

Even more important is learning and following what's known as the Standard Orders, which serve as a sort of Ten Commandments for firefighters. They include staying informed about the weather, identifying escape routes and safety zones, posting lookouts when there is danger, and being alert, calm and clear-thinking.

The orders were developed after the 1956 Inaja fire east of San Diego in which 11 firefighters were killed. That fire is listed as among the top five deadliest wildfires in modern U.S. history.

"Failing to follow these rules means death," said Krogen, as he held a laminated list of the Standard Orders in his hand.

Despite the hardships, Krogen and his buddies said they wouldn't trade the life of a U.S. Forest Service firefighter for anything.

"I see this as a lifelong career," said Ashlee Richardson, 20, of Kernville, a small town some 60 miles northeast of Bakersfield. Richardson is the only woman on the team.

As with many of the team's younger members, Richardson has worked for the Forest Service for only a few years. Many of the younger members work six months out of the year and earn about $24,000.

Krogen, Richardson and others want to work full time someday soon.

Sleeping outdoors, traveling the country to fight wildfires alongside other firefighters and establishing lifelong friendships with them, doing crucial work to protect local communities — it all adds up to a great life, they said.

"There's nothing else like it," Krogen said.