Washington firefighters gear up to fight deadly California wildfires

CASTLE ROCK, Wash. — About 20 engines from across Washington are heading to California on Saturday to help fight the deadly wildfires.

“There’s always the unknown you can’t plan for, so you wonder what that might be,” said Russ Truman, Department of Natural Resources fire operations manager for the Pacific Cascade Region.

Larissa Huhta is one of about 80 firefighters from Washington heading to California. She found out Friday.

“It’s definitely fun for me, but it’s also nerve-wrecking. I’ve never been to California, so it’ll be a different experience, so I’m a little apprehensive as well, you could say,” she said.

DNR State Fire Operations Chief Aaron Schmidt woke up to a call from California asking for help.

“I don’t want to be dramatic and say it’s explosive, but it’s darn near explosive,” said Schmidt about the wildfires in California.

He quickly began planning and calling crews from across the state.

Scroll down to continue reading

More news from KIRO 7

• Women who walk the streets in Seattle say it's now more dangerous
• Police need help in stabbing investigation identifying man who urinated on animal hospital
• Thousand oaks shooting: All 12 identified
• Federal prosecutors have evidence Trump involved in hush money payments, report says
• Do you have an investigative story tip? Send us an email at investigate@kiro7.com

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP

“They’re coming from Forks, Spokane, they’re coming from Cowlitz County, they’re coming from the coast,” said Schmidt.

Schmidt’s carefully juggling how many crews are needed in Washington and how many can lend a hand.

“Although it’s November, we still have fires in Washington, so one of the careful dances I have to do in operations is make sure we still have folks in Washington,” he said.

As firefighters gear up to head south, many dangers lie ahead. Although they plan as well as they can, they never truly know what they’ll face.

“They all have different weather, different topography, different types of fuels and so each one is a little bit different,” said Truman.

Firefighters plan to leave Washington around 10 a.m. Saturday to go to California. They’ll be on the front lines for 14 days.

Cox Media Group