WA firefighters heading to Southern CA to help fight devestating wildfires

More than 100 Washington firefighters are heading to Southern California to help fight the devastating wildfires ravaging the area.

The Washington Emergency Management Division announced on social media that the state is “pulling together resources” to send 45 engines and 11 trucks to provide firefighting assistance, in addition to 146 firefighters. These resources are being parceled into nine task forces.

Our state is pulling together resources requested by @Cal_OES.

We are working with fire departments across the state to coordinate nine task forces made up of 45 engines, 11 trucks and 146 personnel. Additionally, @waDNR_fire is sending equipment & personnel to California.

— WA Emergency Management (@waEMD) January 9, 2025

More on the Southern CA fires: Wildfires burn out of control across Los Angeles area and kill 5 as thousands flee homes

The fire departments sending firefighters and other resources to combat the fires in Washington are Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue, North County Fire, South County Fire, Sky Valley, Snoho Fire Districts 16, 4, 22 and 15, Camano Island Fire & Rescue, Eastside Fire & Rescue, Chelan Fire & Rescue, Key Peninsula Fire, Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One, Shoreline Fire and North Mason Regional Fire.

Two teams of firefighters from Shoreline and Bothell have been deployed to the Los Angeles area where spreading wildfires have torched thousands of homes and forced more than 170,000 people to evacuate.

As of Thursday morning, the teams are driving two fire trucks from their respective stations toward Redding, Calif. Fire Chief Matt Cowan, who leads both Shoreline and Bothell Fire Departments, said they are expected to arrive in Southern California by Friday – an 18-hour drive made in two days.

Cowan expressed the urgency of the situation, telling KIRO Newsradio more fires have spawned since the decision was made to send the teams down the West Coast.

“I’m glad that we’re able to try and help,” he said. “I think my frustration is probably that they’re not there right now.”

The teams, both on what Cowan said are engines designed to combat structure fires, have yet to be assigned a specific mission – partly due to the rapidly evolving situation near L.A. In the past 24 hours, two new fires have ignited – one in Hollywood Hills and another brush fire in the mountains near Acton.

Cowan said the teams will likely be working on trying to save whatever buildings they can, and the ones still standing, making sure they are more resistant to any encroaching flames.

“There isn’t a fire department out there that can deal with some of the emergencies all on their own,” he said.

He stressed that in times of crisis, cooperation is vital.

“Even if we’re separated by states, or by counties, or even within our area – different fire departments, we’re all in this together.”

Many of these departments either left sometime Wednesday, or used that day to prepare and left Thursday morning. Tulalip Bay Fire Department Capt. Derek Kuhn told The Seattle Times he expects he and his team will be away for 18 days.

“We have 200 firefighters within our organization, so we’re only sending five,” Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Justyn Shevlin told KIRO 7. “We’re sending a strike team leader and one structural engine with a crew of four. There’s no loss of service to the residents that we serve in Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue. Our minimum or daily staffing has stayed the same.”

Shevlin stated that the Washington-based firefighters are prepared to help in any way, whether that’s relieving firefighters who need rest, extinguishing flames or using their engines to protect structures threatened by the wildfires.

More local natural disasters: Inslee declares bomb cyclone state emergency, opening up $1M in funding

The fires in Los Angeles County, which have destroyed more than 1,000 structures and killed five people as of this reporting, are especially dangerous due to being fueled by winds that reached more than 60 mph. There are five active fires in the Los Angeles area: Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hurst Fire, Lidia Fire and Sunset Fire. The Hurst Fire is 10% contained and the Lidia Fire is 40% contained, according to NBC Washington. The rest of the fires are 0% contained.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

Contributing: KIRO 7

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest and producer of the Seattle Seahawks podcast, The Reset with Gee Scott. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.

Sam Campbell is a reporter, editor and anchor at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Sam’s stories here. Follow Sam on X, or email him here.