Early on the morning of January 10, Oregon firefighters began their first day of duty battling the gigantic Palisades fire in Southern California, which eventually destroyed thousands of acres, scorched innumerable buildings, and claimed the lives of around a dozen individuals.
Moving through empty streets, the Douglas County strike team was tasked with putting out hotspots in the Palisades neighborhood on the western outskirts of Los Angeles. After driving down in their rigs from Oregon the previous evening, the squad, which was one of 370 firemen dispatched from all around Oregon to California, was unsure of what to anticipate.
With houses completely destroyed by fire and trees and other vegetation charred, the region was evacuated.
In order to investigate more difficult-to-reach places, strike team commander Mark Hernandez and assistant strike team leader Kevin Comstock took a car to the foothills. They started walking when they reached a ridge where fallen power poles and power cables obstructed the path.
In January 2025, Oregon firemen examine the Southern California suburb of Palisades for hotspots and individuals who might require assistance.Office of the Oregon Fire Marshal
Hernandez, who typically serves as battalion chief with the Central Douglas Fire & Rescue out of Winston, stated that they were astonished to discover an old woman sitting in a chair in the front yard of a house they had observed still standing on a ridge top.
After learning that the woman and her husband had gone days without food, drink, or communication, the two firefighters proceeded to the backyard to see how the husband was doing.
Hernandez told The Oregonian/OregonLive this week from California, “We immediately saw that he had burns on his arms, hands, and legs, and we knew it was more than first-degree, it was probably second- or third-degree burns.” In one way or another, we realized we had to get him out of there.
Hernandez and Comstock collaborated with another striking crew to transport the victim in a rescue basket down the block road after phoning for an ambulance. Additionally, they stayed at the couple’s house to extinguish hotspots after calling the couple’s relatives to assure them that the two were safe.
In the Palisades community in California, where a wildfire has destroyed over 23,000 acres and claimed around a dozen lives, Oregon firemen assist in transporting an elderly man to safety.Office of the Oregon Fire Marshal
Our primary objective is to save lives, and Hernandez stated that we had the chance to assist someone who was still there, trapped, and without a means of escape. I’m happy we were able to get him out and provide him the care he need; it was a very good find.
Firefighters in Oregon have been extremely busy ever since. According to the Oregon Fire Marshal’s office, they have saved numerous homes and other buildings that had first survived the fire, created firelines by clearing underbrush, and extinguished innumerable hotspots. A black-and-white cat that was discovered famished and thirsty close to an unburned building was even saved by them.
370 In January 2025, firefighters from Oregon are assisting in the battle against the Palisades Fire in California.Office of the Oregon Fire Marshal
It proves that all of the effort put out to bring resources here, all of the labor done at home to send us, and all of the support from our families is worthwhile, Comstock, a member of the Roseburg Fire Department, said.
Comstock and Hernandez stated that they still have tasks to complete, like as putting out other hotspots and assisting homeowners who are being gradually reintroduced into their communities to evaluate the damage. Additionally, evacuations have been forced by the mobilization of two Oregon strike teams overnight to combat a new fire in northern San Diego County.
The firefighters will return home to Oregon on Friday after their 14-day assignment concludes this week.
With almost 23,700 acres burned, the Palisades fire is currently 63% contained. Eleven people have been killed and four injured, while 6,380 homes and other structures have been destroyed.
Gosia Wozniacka discusses a variety of environmental topics, including climate change, environmental justice, and the switch to sustainable energy. You may contact her at 971-421-3154 or [email protected].
Your support is essential to our journalism. Sign up for OregonLive.com now.
