LOS ANGELES (NewsNation) — Several states have responded to calls for help, sending fire crews to California to combat wildfires in Los Angeles.
Firefighters from neighboring states are already on the ground helping to contain the growing blaze.
Air operations in the Palisades resumed Thursday as multiple wildfires ripped through parts of Los Angeles County. The death toll from the wildfires has risen to five, according to Nicole Nishida, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Officials have said more than 100,000 people are under evacuation orders because of all the fires.
Oregon sends 300 firefighters to LA.
On Wednesday, strike teams from Oregon mobilized 15 teams consisting of 300 firefighters and 75 engines.
“We’ve been able to help them in the past and we’re standing ready to get in these rigs and go down there today to help return the favor yet again,” said Forest Grove Fire Operations Chief Sgt. Patrick Wineman.
Teams from Nevada, Washington, and Arizona are also en route. The Phoenix Fire Department is expected to be in Los Angeles within days as they wait for further instructions.
Those extra crews will join California firefighters already working around the clock.
Nearly 7,500 firefighters battling blaze
Governor Gavin Newsom announced that with federal, state, and local help, nearly 7,500 men and women are now battling the fires.
Officials stress they need all the help they can get.
“We’re getting as many resources as we can get from throughout the state of California. We can always use more, especially with this strength of wind. We could put an engine at every house and still have trouble with these 80-mile-an-hour gusts. the more the better. We will take as much as we can get. I know there’s more resources on the way as we speak,” said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Brent Pascua.
States along the East Coast, from New York to Florida, have also offered to assist if needed.
What’s the federal response to these fires?
President Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for California.
The US Forest Service has air tankers working and extra ones on the way. Federal firefighting helicopters are there and ready as long as the winds allow, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved a grant to reimburse the state for firefighting costs.
The California National Guard has also been deployed, and Navy helicopters with water delivery buckets are being sent to the area.