Some relieved Los Angeles residents may return to see their homes still standing thanks to Stockton firefighters.
The Stockton Fire Department sent Engine 346 and a crew of four to join the fight this week against the Palisades fire, a brush-fed inferno that has become the most destructive in L.A. history, damaging or destroying more than 5,300 structures.
The crew is part of a five-engine task force from San Joaquin County that departed about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday a few hours after the blaze began for the 340-mile drive to Pacific Palisades. They arrived in what had been one of Los Angeles’ most posh communities about 2 a.m. Wednesday, Deputy Chief Brandon Doolan said.
Even in a state that has grown used to massive wildfires, the level of destruction in L.A. is jarring. By Friday morning, the Palisades fire had blackened more than 20,000 acres and was 8% contained, according to a report from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said at least two deaths have been reported in the blaze.
The Palisades is one of five fires that broke out in a matter of days in L.A. The Eaton fire, north of Pasadena, ignited Tuesday and has charred more than 13,000 acres and destroyed more than 5,000 structures, including five school campuses in Altadena.
The Hurst fire, which also started Tuesday night, prompted evacuations in Sylmar in the San Fernando Valley. It has burned more than 700 acres, but unlike in the Palisades and Eaton blazes, firefighters have made great gains in battling the fire, increasing containment to 37%.
The Sunset fire broke out Wednesday evening, burning near the Hollywood Bowl and other iconic landmarks before firefighters got the flames under control and evacuation orders were lifted the following morning. And on Thursday, a new blaze dubbed the Kenneth fire broke out near West Hills, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley about 11 miles northwest of Pacific Palisades, prompting further evacuations.
All together, the fires have burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures since Tuesday and killed at least 10 people.
The task force was requested under a state mutual aid pact designed to bring in manpower for emergencies. Stockton’s fire engine joins about 350 others on the scene in Southern California. More than 3,000 firefighters are working the lines.
Stockton’s crew — a captain, engineer and two firefighters — volunteered for the assignment, which may have them away from home for up to two weeks, Doolan said. Those who serve must be ready to go within 30 minutes of being called.
“This is what they all signed up to do,” Doolan said.
Engine 346 and others in the task force strike team are paid for by the governor’s Office of Emergency Services. They were given to the city for use in disasters like the one unfolding in Los Angeles. Unlike Stockton’s familiar red fire engines, 346 is distinguished by its yellow paint and unique assignment. Housed at Station 10 on March Lane, it was used four times last year.
The state picks up the tab for maintenance of the engine and will pay the Stockton crew members while they are fighting the Palisades fire. California also reimburses the city for the overtime of other firefighters who go on the out-of-town missions, Doolan said.
Engine 346 is designed to fight fires in buildings, not venture up rutted roads to battle brush fires. That makes the truck ideal to send into neighborhoods to help quell the flames of houses or businesses set ablaze by wind-driven embers or protect others in harm’s way.
In the process, Stockton firefighters learn lessons from situations that could prove valuable if disaster were to strike closer to home.
“It’s very good experience,” Doolan said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.