SALEM, Ore.
— Some 25 engines and over 60 firefighting personnel from Oregon Department of
Forestry districts and forest protective associations are in Southern California
helping battle the 230,500-acre Thomas Fire.
The Oregon
firefighters traveled from various points around the state to California on Friday
and Saturday. All arrived over the weekend at the California Southern Region Prado
Mobilization Center in Chino, about 35 miles east of Los Angeles.
The ODF
firefighters are assigned to the Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara County. As of
this morning, Cal Fire was reporting that close to 6,400 firefighters and more
than 850 fire engines were engaged in fighting the fire, which is threatening a
number of communities. The blaze, fueled by strong winds, has already burned almost 40,000 more acres than this year’s largest wildfire in Oregon (the 191,125-acre Chetco Bar Fire).
The five ODF
task forces, each made up of five engines, were requested by California fire
officials through an interstate resource-sharing system known as ROSS (Resource
Ordering and Status System). They are in addition to over 300 other Oregon fire
service personnel sent to fight Southern California fires by the Oregon State
Fire Marshal’s Office and fellow entities.
“California
and Oregon have a longstanding relationship with mutual reciprocation when
suppression resources are needed,” said Oregon State Forester Peter Daugherty. “California
was there for us during our challenging fire season this year and Oregon is
fortunate to have the opportunity to return the favor.”
Severe fire
weather is expected to continue, promoting significant fire growth in Santa
Barbara County, where a number of communities are under mandatory evacuation
orders. Cal Fire has reported that some 18,000 structures are threatened by the fire, with more than having been destroyed. For the latest information about the Thomas Fire, visit Cal Fire incident information page.
This is the second deployment of ODF firefighters and engines to California this year. The deployment in October of five engines and personnel from the Southwest and Klamath-Lake districts was to help with devastating wildfires in Northern California.
During the summer, California firefighting resources were among several out-of-state resources that answered requests to assist with the many fires that were burning across Oregon.
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