The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal, through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, has activated its Agency Operations Center and deployed 15 strike teams with equipment and personnel who are now actively engaged in assisting with the wildfires in California.
California fire officials submitted a request asking for assistance Tuesday evening from Oregon. The Oregon State Fire Marshall activated its emergency mobilization plan, sending out the request for assistance to all Oregon fire agencies.
“Oregon fire agencies have again answered the call and we are honored to assist our neighbors for the second time this year, said Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple. “California helped us with the fires in southern Oregon this year, we assisted them in October and I am proud that we can again assist them in their time of need.”
All Oregon resources have been assigned to either the Thomas Fire (seven Oregon strike teams) burning near Ventura, California, or the Creek Fire (eight Oregon strike teams) burning near Sylmar, California. They are very busy currently working on their assignments. Total Oregon deployment: 269 personnel and 75 apparatus.
Firefighters are arriving from across much of the Western U.S. to provide much-needed relief to Southern California agencies.
Strike teams have also arrived from Nevada, New Mexico, Montana, Utah, and Idaho, according to Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Colorado is also sending crews, outlets in that state reported.
“Neighbor helping neighbor, everyone is supporting each other,” Ghilarducci said.
Strike teams from other states are staged to deal with additional problems that may arise from the continuing Santa Ana winds, which are expected to calm by Sunday.
Some 1,200 National Guard troops have also been pre-positioned within the Los Angeles Basin, and they’re accompanied by federal firefighting aircraft, Ghilarducci said.
Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott said lots of resources have been deployed to the region, including to cover fire stations. More than 5,000 firefighters are responding to Southern California blazes, a Cal Fire spokesman said.
“Forecasted weather will be a test to all firefighters and residents with winds expected at up to 60 mph,” said Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple. “These winds are expected to last through Friday, possibly diminishing over the weekend and picking back up again at the beginning of next week.”
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