Local crews dispatched to help battle SoCal fires

Crews from the Tiburon and Southern Marin fire protection districts have been dispatched to help fight the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles County.

Four Southern Marin firefighters and a battalion chief were deployed Jan. 8 as part of a larger strike team that includes first-responders from Central Marin and San Rafael, while three Tiburon firefighters, a battalion chief and a district engine headed south Jan. 9. The deployments were set to last up to two weeks.

The fire, which ignited Jan. 7 and rapidly swept through the affluent coastal community of Pacific Palisades before spreading west toward Malibu and north toward Tarzana, has burned 23,713 acres and was 14% contained as of The Ark’s Jan. 13 press deadline. So far, 1,280 structures have been destroyed with an additional 12,250 under threat, according to Cal Fire. Officials are still investigating the cause of the blaze.

The blaze was one of several large wildfires that have leveled homes and businesses and forced evacuations in the Los Angeles area last week. The Eaton Fire, which ignited Jan. 7 in Altadena, had burned at least 14,117 acres and was 33% contained as of The Ark’s press deadline. At least 11 people have died as a result of that fire; Cal Fire estimates 1,902 structures are destroyed, and first-hand accounts on social media have shown blocks of homes and businesses burned to the ground.

A third fire, the Sunset Fire, sparked about 6 p.m. Jan. 8 in the Hollywood Hills and had burned about 42 acres, before officials reported the blaze contained by the next day.

Local fire district officials have said both agencies remain fully staffed and able to respond to local incidents.

The Tiburon and Southern Marin districts are part of a mutual-aid system that allows them to help fight out-of-area fires and receive aid with local fires in return. The agencies are reimbursed for their staff and equipment expenditures.

Public officials in Los Angeles are suggesting those who want to help to donate to well-vetted organizations including:

• The California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery fund, calfund.org.

•  The American Red Cross, redcross.org.

•  The Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, supportlafd.org.

GoFundMe also has its own wildfire-relief fund at a page dedicated to individual fundraising campaigns and other trusted organizations, at gofundme.com/c/act/wildfire-relief/California.