AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Saturday, Governor Greg Abbott announced Texas would send resources to aid California’s wildfire response.
Multiple state agencies are expected to deploy more than 135 firefighters, emergency management and medical personnel, and more than 45 fire engines, ambulances, command vehicles and equipment to California as crews battle ongoing wildfires.
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Central Texas Firefighters head to California to help with wildfires. (Photo credit: Williamson County ESD 5/ Jarrell Fire/Rescue). -
Kyle Firefighters head to California to help with wildfires. (Photo credit: Kyle Fire Department). -
AFD firefighters head to California to help with wildfires. (Photo by: Lt. Mike Scott, Austin Fire).
The resources were granted after a request from CAL FIRE through the California Office of Emergency Services.
The agencies involved include:
- Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM)
- Texas A&M Forest Service
- Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System
- Texas Emergency Medical Task Force
“They work 24 hours on, and then they will get 24 hours off,” Lt. Stephen Gibbon with the Austin Fire Department said. “They’ll be working through the night…we’re here to serve.”
The Central Texas Strike team was assigned to the Palisades fire according to Gibbon.
The crew arrived on Sunday night and began their 24-hour shift on Monday.
“[We’re seeing] houses burned down to the ground, stores burned down to the ground,” Justin Rucker, a Kyle Firefighter said. “We can see the devastation on the faces of those who have lost property.”
According to the Governor’s Office, the deployment was coordinated under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which enables states to provide assistance and share resources with another state in response to a disaster or emergency.
Central Texas resources
A group of firefighters from several Central Texas agencies is also headed to California to help. According to a Facebook post from Williamson County Emergency Services District 5/Jarrell Fire and Rescue, a caravan with a strike team deployed to LA over the weekend and started helping with response Monday.
The group includes firefighters from Jarrell, Hutto, Kyle, Austin, Killeen, Morgan’s Point, Bryan, and Round Rock.
