At Least 200 Texas Firefighters Deploy To Battle California Wildfires

Despite the on-again off-again rivalry between the Lone Star State and California, a crisis in the Golden State has hundreds of Texans heading westward. Gov. Greg Abbott has deployed at least 200 firefighters and some 50 types of specialized fire vehicles to the west coast as historic wildfires sweep parts of northern and southern California.

In the so-called “Camp Fire in California’s northern Butte County, there are 48 confirmed fatalities, making it the deadliest wildfire in the state’s history. 7,600 homes have also been lost.  In Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the Woolsey and Hill fires are blamed for two fatalities. There, 435 structures have burned, with 57,000 others still in danger.

Kari Hines is a wildland and urban interface specialist with the Texas A&M Forest Service. She says Texas firefighters will fight fires in Butte, Los Angeles, and Ventura counties. The challenge for the Texas firefighters include different weather patterns and terrain than they’re use to.

“The Santa Ana winds, of course, the topography is a little different than it is here in Texas, as well as the vegetation,” Hines says.

Hines says firefighters will need to learn as they go.

This week’s deadly fires in California have almost certainly been made worse by the ongoing drought in that state, Hines says. She says adding more humans to the mix increases the risk of fire.

The question of whether Texas could experience fires like those happening in California now is not an academic one. Wildfires in the Panhandle, and in Central and East Texas have also come during drought conditions.

“We absolutely do experience high wildfire danger days,” Hines says.

She says individuals can reduce their own fire danger. These include keeping vegetation trimmed, and away from structures, and being careful when using fire.

Written by Shelly Brisbin.