Clark County fire agencies sent 15 firefighters, three engines and two command vehicles this morning to help battle the wildfires roaring through Southern California.
Three large fires are burning in the Los Angeles area, stretching from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena. Around 29,000 acres were ablaze as of this morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire aren’t contained at all, according to the department. The Hurst Fire near San Fernando is 10 percent contained.
A fourth blaze, the Lidia Fire, started Wednesday east of Santa Clarita. The 348-acre fire is 40 percent contained, according to the forestry department.
The fires have destroyed nearly 2,000 structures and killed at least five people, The Associated Press reported today.
“When we’ve had a really bad fire season, we’ve had California resources come to Washington to support us,” said Ben Peeler, assistant chief for Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue and coordinator for the state’s emergency management assistance fire service resources program. “You never know: Next year it could be Washington’s turn to have a really bad fire season.”
The Los Angeles Fire Department reached out to its off-duty members on social media Tuesday, asking them to call into the department with their availability.
A California request for 200 extra engines from surrounding states reached local departments Tuesday, Peeler said. California pays for local crews’ time fighting fires in the state.
Clark County’s fire departments were ready to send rigs down to help by Wednesday morning, said Fire Chief John Nohr, who heads up Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue in Ridgefield.
The Clark County crews, who will be part of a group of about 180 firefighters and 45 engines total from Washington, will report to Los Angeles County to help with the Palisades and Eaton fires, Peeler said.
Red Cross workers from Oregon and Southwest Washington are heading to Los Angeles this afternoon to support victims of the fires, according to the American Red Ross — Cascades Region office.
With Washington fire seasons getting progressively worse in recent years, Peeler said, assisting in these urban blazes also gives Washington’s firefighters valuable experience.
