LOS ANGELES (CNS) — The Los Angeles County Fire Department has joined other California fire agencies to help fight the multiple wildfires burning across the state.
The department has dispatched six engine strike teams, two camp crew strike teams, a contracted Coulson Chinook helitanker, and 38 overhead personnel to the massive Dixie Fire (burning over five Northern California counties), the Caldor Fire near Lake Tahoe, the Monument Fire in the Trinity Wilderness, and the French Fire in Kern County, officials said Tuesday.
"The 2021 wildfire season has proven to be challenging once again. As always, we continue to strategize and utilize our resources to collectively battle wildfires because every wildfire becomes a shared fight to protect residents and communities," LACFD Chief Daryl Osby said.
The department's annually leased SuperScoopers arrived on Monday and were expected to be placed into service Wednesday.
Additionally, as the Region 1 coordinator for Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties, Osby has activated and fully staffed the LACFD's 9-1-1 communications center to assist with mutual aid requests.
All but one of California's national forests are closed through Sept. 17 under an order issued by the U.S. Forest Service intended to help ensure the safety of the public and firefighters amid the state's many ongoing wildfires.
The closures include the Angeles National Forest and the Cleveland National Forest in Southern California.