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The Menlo Park Fire Protection District, along with other fire agencies throughout the Bay Area, is sending firefighting crews and engines to help fight the 15,000 plus-acre, wind-fueled Palisades Fire in Los Angeles County.
The blaze started in the mountains north of the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 7. As of 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 15,832 acres have reportedly been affected by the fire, according to fire mapping by Cal Fire.
According to Menlo Fire Marshal and Division Chief Jon Johnston, the agency sent two strike teams to help fight the out-of-control wildfire on the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 7, with a third team sent on the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 8. Mutual aid requests in the state of California are dictated by the California Office of Emergency services.
Johnston explained that a strike team consists of one or two strike team leaders and five engines, each carrying four firefighters, which amounts to a total of 21 or 22 personnel per team.
Johnston also explained that sending fire crews to fires in other locations in the state can help to build the skills and knowledge needed to fight similar fires, should they occur closer to home. Menlo Fire has been deployed to other large fires in the past.
Local fire departments sending mutual aid to large fires does not affect staffing levels at the home agencies.
“All units are backfilled to maintain service levels at home,” Johnston said.
Palo Alto Fire has also been deployed, city spokesperson Meghan Horrigan-Taylor confirmed on Thursday. She said Fire Engine 65 has been engaged at the Palisades Fire since they arrived in Los Angeles at 4 a.m. on Wednesday morning, and that a Fire Line Paramedic was also deployed to the State Mutual Aid System.
Crews from Alameda County, Oakland, Hayward and Fremont have also joined a strike team formed by Cal Fire to contain the massive wildfire. Cal Fire CZU, the state fire division that covers San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, and Cal Fire SCU, the state fire division that covers Santa Clara and Alameda Contra Costa counties, have also sent a strike team to aid in the fire fight, according to the agency’s X posts.
The Cal Fire strike teams were prepositioned in the area due to a red flag warning that had been issued by the National Weather Service, and were quickly deployed to the fire after it first erupted.
Nearly 30,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate across Los Angeles County, including parts of Pasadena, Santa Monica and Malibu, as of 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday. The city of Los Angeles has also declared a state of emergency, according to officials.
The neighboring Eaton Fire in Pasadena has claimed two lives, according to the Associated Press.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
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