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- Sixty-four Utah firefighters are heading to California to combat Los Angeles-area fires.
- The fires have burned over 30,000 acres, killing five people and displaced over 100,000 residents.
- Utah's response is significant due to the region's challenging fire conditions.
WEST VALLEY CITY — Dozens of Utah firefighters are making their way to California to help battle a series of fires in the Los Angeles area, which have left at least five people dead and has displaced tens of thousands of people in recent days.
Sixty-four firefighters and a mechanic from various local agencies across Utah met outside the Maverik Center Thursday morning before deploying to Malibu, California. They'll travel about 12 hours before they expect to join efforts to stop the Palisades Fire, the largest of five fires burning in the area.
The Eaton, Hurst, Lidia and Sunset fires also sparked in Southern California this week.
"Our prayers — and our firefighters — are with those devastated by the inferno in LA," Gov. Spencer Cox wrote in a post Wednesday night on X, formerly known as Twitter.
California requested help from Utah's Type 1 and Type 3 Engine Strike Teams/Task forces, spokespeople for the Utah Department of Public Safety and the Utah Department of Natural Resources said on Wednesday. Each response typically lasts up to 14 days but can be extended, depending on the conditions.
More crews could also be sent.
Each group, for now, will bring five engines with three or four firefighters, said Kelly Bird, a spokesman for the Unified Fire Authority and member of one of those task forces. He said the team may help with evacuations, fire suppression and other needs in the area.
"Who's to say what it looks like (Friday) morning when we get to work," Chet Ellis, a division chief for the Unified Fire Authority added before leaving on Thursday. "It could be everything from really fast-moving, aggressive firefighting to do more cleanup, what we call mop up, (and) everything in between."
It's not uncommon for Utah to send firefighters to other states to help out with large fires, or for Utah to receive help from outside states through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. However, Bird said Utah's response is much larger this time around because of the dire impact of all the LA-area fires.
In its Thursday afternoon report, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials said the five fires, combined, have burned over 30,000 acres, leaving five people dead and destroying over 10,000 structures. The Associated Press reported Thursday more than 100,000 residents remain under evacuation orders.
The two largest blazes — the Palisades and Eaton fires — remain mostly uncontained. Firefighters have some level of containment on the Hurst and Lidia fires, ranging from 10%-60%. Utah's group of firefighters will join a group of nearly 14,000 dispatched to active fires in California.
Cal Fire officials report "extreme fire behavior" continues to "pose significant challenges" for firefighters. Wind gusts of up to 60 mph are forecast to persist through at least Thursday.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for many parts of southern California, which remains in effect through Friday evening as dry northeasterly winds — often referred to as Santa Ana winds — and relatively low humidity merge into "critical fire weather conditions."
The Palisades Fire first sparked on Tuesday amid strong wind gusts. The exact cause of all five fires remains under investigation, but they come as moderate, severe and extreme drought have returned to Southern California and a large portion of the Southwest in recent months.
While wildfires are more likely to happen in the summertime, Utah fire officials said the fire outbreak serves as a reminder that wildland fires "aren't limited to a specific season" and can happen at any point when the wrong conditions form. California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in response to the fires on Wednesday.
Contributing: Andrew Adams and Karah Brackin
