Devastating wildfires continue to burn throughout Los Angeles and southern California. Nearly 10,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed, with more than 180,000 people displaced. Andrew Chang explains how drought conditions and Santa Ana winds contributed to the biggest of the blazes, ...
Dozens of Missoulians are fighting fires in California from the ground and the air with the goal of limiting additional damage to neighborhoods that have lost thousands of homes.
Firefighters from the City of Missoula, Missoula Rural Fire Department and state resources stationed in Missoula have traveled to Los Angeles County as part of a massive response from supporting agencies from across the country.
Missoula-based aerial firefighting company Neptune Aviation has also worked on the fire, immediately jumping into the fight while its planes were stationed in California for the winter.
"The public is very supportive," Missoula Fire Department Captain Josh Stewart told the Missoulian in a Monday phone call from California. "It is actually amazing to see how many people here know and love Missoula, Montana."
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Stewart and firefighters Nate Sink, Skylar Wiemokly and Cam Fuller arrived in Los Angeles on Friday evening and were assigned to the Palisades fire, which as of Wednesday morning stood at 23,713 acres and 18% contained.
Stewart's unit under Missoula Engine 143 has worked as part of a five-engine strike team tasked with providing initial attack and fire suppression on new flare ups across the fire line.
Stewart told the Missoulian that the terrain in the area has been extremely steep, while the vegetation has been "flashy," or quick-burning and easily allows for the fire to spread.
The crew, along with a second four-person MFD team that arrived in California on Saturday, is expected to work the California fires for at least 14 days.
Missoula Fire Captain Steve Finnerty, firefighters Jack Pickhardt, Jason Chesbro, Andy Burke and Master Mechanic Eric Petroff arrived at the fire on Sunday. That team's assignment on the fire was not immediately available.
If more support is needed, new crews from Missoula could replace the original teams.
Stewart said as of Monday more than 5,000 firefighters have been assigned to the Palisades fire, one of several destructive blazes in the area.
"Some people like to call us heroes, but we are not," Stewart said. "We are out here doing our jobs. That is just how we operate."
Missoula Rural Fire Department sent a wildland fire engine with a four-person crew as well. Engine Boss Jon Muir and firefighters Clint Dregalla, Zanon Fulbright and Cody Maxon arrived in the Los Angeles area on Friday night.
As of Wednesday, the crew was also assigned to the Palisades fire, working the northwest corner of the burn as a part of a patrolling strike team.
Muir told the Missoulian in a Wednesday phone call from California that the team has been feeling confident in the work of preventing flare-ups and ensuring the fire is put out in areas where people are hoping to return to their homes.
"There are thousands of firefighters here, and we are just a small part of the operation," Muir said. "But we are feeling good about the work the firefighters have done here to protect structures and get people back to their homes."
In the air, Neptune Aviation provided three large air tankers and an air attack plane in California under a contract with the Forest Service, according to Kevin Condit, a spokesperson for Neptune.
The aircraft had previously been in the area when the LA wildfires broke out and responded immediately to the burns, although the equipment was sidelined at times because of extreme wind speeds.
Condit said over the last week Neptune's three planes dropped more than 200,000 gallons of fire retardant, and clocked 30 hours of total flight time during 64 missions on the Palisades fire.
Short-term, Neptune will continue to work as a responding agency in California, but eventually the planes will return to Missoula for winter maintenance in preparation for the Montana 2025 wildfire season.
Condit said if there is a continued need for aircraft in Southern California, Neptune has other planes on reserve that can be sent back to continue the fight.
"Obviously a series of horrific fires affected hundreds of thousands of residents and destroyed many homes, our hearts go out to them," Condit said.
Other Missoula crews in California include a third Missoula Fire Engine that is on standby in Lake Forest, California, consisting of Fire Captain Brent Meyers and firefighters Ahri Cornelius, Byron Cooper and Quinlan Roe.
A 20-person contracted initial attack crew also from Missoula joined the fire last week, the state office of Disaster and Emergency Services said in a press release.
Other Montana fire departments in Bigfork, Big Sky, Butte-Silver Bow, Central Valley, Columbus, Corvallis, Plains-Paradise, Red Lodge and Whitefish have joined the fire suppression efforts, according to the Helena Independent Record.
The Chief Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew from Browning has also joined the firefight, and Bozeman-based Bridger Aerospace sent a Super Scooper aircraft to relieve a Canadian scooper that was damaged by a drone near the fire.
Conditions in Los Angeles were expected to worsen on Wednesday. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning, meant to show favorable conditions for fire spreading, through Wednesday afternoon.
Griffen Smith is the local government reporter for the Missoulian.
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