Sacramento-area firefighters answer the call to battle devastating Southern California fires
Sacramento County firefighters have joined fight against devastating fires besieging Southern California.
Nearly two dozen firefighters from Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, Sacramento Fire Department and Cosumnes Community Service District Fire Department were on the fire line Wednesday at the Palisades Fire that roared through Pacific Palisades and neighboring Malibu.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County on Tuesday night as firefighters battled four blazes near Pacific Palisades and Pasadena, which have prompted evacuations to more than 30,000 people.
The ongoing Los Angeles-area wildfires have so far claimed two lives and destroyed more than 1,000 structures.
“They checked in safely this morning and have been deployed to the fire line for structure protection,” said Parker Wilbourn, a Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District battalion chief and spokesman.
The joint 22-member Strike Team 4801-C set out for Southern California on Tuesday evening aboard five engines and a strike team vehicle, Wilbourn said. Four members of the team come from the south county Cosumnes Fire Department, officials there said.
It’s part of the California Master Mutual Aid Agreement, the massive mutual aid pact bringing resources from across the state to fire disasters like the one now unfolding in the greater Los Angeles area where three other major fires also exploded overnight including the Eaton Fire burning in the San Gabriel foothills near Pasadena and the Hurst Fire in Sylmar in northern Los Angeles County.
“This deployment highlights the importance of emergency resource sharing statewide,” Metro Fire officials said in a statement announcing the strike team’s trek south. “Fire season is now year-round, and the ability to support the mission of saving lives and protecting property throughout our state has never been more critical.”
A second strike team was deployed Wednesday afternoon consisting of personnel and five brush engines from Metro Fire and city departments from Sacramento, Manteca and Ione, as well as Calaveras and southern San Joaquin counties.
California also secured Fire Management Assistant Grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fight the Palisades, Hurst and Eaton fires, Newsom said Wednesday.
The request came after Newsom and state emergency officials had prepositioned more than 60 local fire engines and multiple Cal Fire strike teams to prepare for the anticipated fire suppression efforts.
This story was originally published January 8, 2025 at 11:18 AM.
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