Arizona Firefighters Join Efforts to Combat Massive California Wildfires
As wildfires continue to wreak havoc in Los Angeles, Arizona fire crews have stepped up to provide crucial assistance. The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management has mobilized four task forces, comprising 78 personnel each, to help tackle the blaze.
Task Force 1, led by Battalion Chief Rich Jones, is currently engaged in fighting the Eaton Fire, which has engulfed over 10,500 acres north of LA. Describing the harrowing scene, Jones remarked, “We drove in here on the first day. The fire was running from structure to structure – downed powerlines, gas lines still burning. It’s a glimpse of destruction, total destruction.”
According to a tweet by the AZ Dept. Forestry and Fire Management, two additional Arizona task forces have been deployed this morning. These teams are initially staged at the Cleveland and San Bernardino National Forests but could be reassigned based on the evolving situation.
Jones noted that the diminishing winds have been a temporary relief, allowing firefighters to slow the fire’s progress. However, heavy gusts are anticipated in the coming days, posing new challenges.
The ranks of nearly 900 firefighters battling the Eaton Fire near Pasadena include crews from the Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority, the Navajo Nation, Peeples Valley near Yarnell, Snowflake, and more than two dozen other northern Arizona agencies.
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