Fort Worth firefighters among North Texas crews going to help fight California wildfires
Five Fort Worth firefighters are traveling to California to help with efforts to contain massive wildfires in the state, officials with the Fort Worth Fire Department said Monday.
The Fort Worth crew will travel with other North Texas firefighters from Allen, Greenville, McKinney and Parker County for a deployment expected to last two weeks. They expect to arrive by Wednesday night.
The brush truck that Fort Worth firefighters took is carrying equipment including “forestry line, hand tools, chainsaws, firing devices such as drip torches, draft hoses, all the way down to tool kits to repair things remotely in the field,” the Fire Department said in a social media post. The firefighters also are taking enough food and water so that they can “operate without outside assistance for up to 72 hrs before needing resupply.”
Gov. Greg Abbott authorized the move through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which allows U.S. states to send each other aid in times of disaster.
“Texans understand the urgency of responding to wildfires, and our country is stronger when we come together in times of crisis,” Abbott said.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s website, the largest active wildfire has so far burned through an area roughly the size of Los Angeles.
The fire started with an arson and was only 12% contained as of Monday afternoon, according to California fire management officials.
This story was originally published July 29, 2024 at 5:48 PM.
