Utah firefighters working long shifts to help battle California fires

MALIBU — Firefighters with the Unified Fire Authority and various other departments from around the Wasatch Front are working 24-hour long shifts to give aid where they can in Southern California.

Kelly Bird, with the UFA, says the 64 from Utah are mostly staying close together while working in three task forces. His group spent Monday protecting neighborhoods right off the Pacific Coast Highway.

"We were tasked with just kind of combing through and eliminating any hotspots," Bird said. "We were able to find quite a few spots that were still burning, kind of smoldering. And our job was basically to extinguish those and then just to patrol."

Bird says while many of the firefighters have helped battle California wildfires in the past, this experience is vastly different.

"The sheer volume of destruction that we've been able to witness has literally been mind-boggling," Bird said. "Street after street, neighborhood after neighborhood of houses that are down to their foundations, and a little bit of their steel framing is still up."

Bird says crews take turns, trying to sleep during their 24-hour shifts, but it is difficult.

"It's kind of like sleeping in an airplane, sleeping in a fire engine," Bird explained. "It's not super comfortable, but we're doing the very best that we can."

That's also why they trade off those long shifts with a 24-hour recuperation, like they did Tuesday. If all goes as planned, the group of firefighters from Utah will start heading back in 10 days. Meantime, Bird says in California have been amazed at all of the outside support. People stop by to bring large amounts of food and supplies to show their gratitude.

"The people here have been so kind," Bird said. "And while we don't do the work that we do for that type of accolade, we're not here for that reason, we really appreciate it."

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