WA firefighters travel to California to help battle wildland fires
EVERETT, Wash. - Raging wildfires in the Los Angeles area have claimed the lives of at least five people and scorched at least 1,000 buildings. Fierce Santa Ana winds fueled the flames that spread uncontrollably.
Firefighters in California are racing to put it out but need an immense amount of help. On Wednesday, crews from nine fire agencies in western Washington began their travels to help fight the flames.
"This just in the last few days has gone pretty crazy. So, we’re honored to get the call to go help," said Cpt. Derek Kuhn of Tulalip Bay Fire Department.
As soon as California authorities put out the call for help to battle the deadly fires in the L.A. area, firefighters in Washington wasted no time answering.
"You don't really have time to take a look at all that initially it's, ‘Hey, we got the call. It's time to go. Get everything on the rig and get out the door,’" said Kuhn.
The fire captain said Tulalip Bay Fire Department received notification early Wednesday morning. Kuhn and three others from his team were some of the first to volunteer.
"It takes, obviously, a pretty big incident for units to be rolling out of Washington," said Kuhn. "We did send one earlier this summer, but here we are doing it again."
The nine fire agencies met at the South County Fire and Rescue headquarters in Everett on Wednesday afternoon. The agencies formed a task force before they began their two-day drive to California in fire engines. Once crews arrive, Kuhn said they would have a better understanding of their tasks.
"Every fire is different. Every assignment is different, and by the time we get there, things can always change," said Kuhn. "My captain, he is going to tell me what to do, and it just continues to go off the chain of command. We don’t even know exactly where we’re going yet."
For 18 days total, the task force will be fighting the raging wildland fires in California. All the firefighters on the task force are wildland certified and have their Red Card.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources said it would also send 35 firefighters and 10 engines to California.
"[We] love to do this. That’s why we all volunteered. That’s what we’re here for," said Kuhn.
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