24 Wyoming Firefighters On The Ground Battling California Fires, More On The Way
When it comes to fighting wildfires around the country, Wyoming’s wildland responders don’t pick and choose when and where to offer help. They go when and where duty calls.
“It’s only fair and right, and just to help those who have helped us out,” said Chris Fallbeck, assistant fire manager officer for aviation and training for Wyoming State Forestry.
As of Monday morning, 24 Wyoming firefighters were actively fighting the devastating wildfires in Southern California with five fire engines. They are made up of crews from Albany County, Yoder, Fremont County, Mills and Casper Mountain.
Fallbeck said another task force with five more engines based out of Laramie County is scheduled to depart no later than 6 a.m. Tuesday for California. This does not include another five engines from Teton, Sublette, Washakie and Campbell counties scheduled to leave in the next few days.
The fires in the Los Angeles area have burned more than 40,000 acres and forced some 150,000 people to evacuate, in addition to killing at least 24 people. The Palisades Fire, the largest, was 13% contained as of Monday morning. The Eaton Fire, which has killed 16 people — making it one of the deadliest in California’s history — was 33% contained. The causes of the fires remain under investigation.
