Michael Laatsch of the Salem Fire Department works on Sunday, Jan. 12, to douse a hot spot at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. He is part of a strike team from Oregon on assignment to the fire for two weeks. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)
Firefighters from Salem and Keizer remain on duty nearly 1,000 miles from home base, helping suppress the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles.
They are part of strike teams organized by the Oregon Department of the State Fire Marshal, dispatched under mutual aid pacts.
The National Weather Service warned of new wind threats that could impact the fire starting on Monday. The Palisades blaze, started on Tuesday, Jan. 7, has covered 23,713 acres and destroyed or damaged approximately 5,000 structures, according to Cal Fire, the state fire agency.
On Sunday, Jan. 12, a team from Engine 15 of the Salem Fire Department was tasked with chasing down hot spots. They were on the hunt in the Highlands neighborhood in Pacific Palisades to find these smoldering and sometimes unseen fire spots that can flare up, causing new destruction.
Firefighters Zach Salvage, Michael Laatsch and Cody Welling, led by Capt. Michael Stewart, worked in zones already heavily damaged by the Palisades Fire.
They are working 24-hour shifts, staying in an unfinished commercial building in Santa Monica since hotels have filled with fire refugees.
A crew from Keizer also is on duty on the duty. That team includes Capt. Aaron Pittis, Lt. CJ Thorne, and firefighters Casey Finnerty, Christopher Zammarelli and Brian Loan.
They are among 5,123 personnel assigned to the fire, according to Cal Fire. They are working with a force that on Sunday included 540 engines, 60 water tenders and 44 helicopters.
Oregon dispatched more local teams over the weekend, with a total of 70 firefighters and 30 water tenders heading to Los Angeles from Clackamas, Columbia, Coos, Curry, Douglas, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Morrow, Multnomah, and Umatilla counties, according to the state officials.
With that expansion, Oregon to date has sent to California 21 strike teams, 75 fire engines, 30 water tenders and 370 firefighters. The state of California is covering the costs for the deployment.
The crews are scheduled to be on duty for two weeks.
“Please rest assured our system is designed to ensure adequate coverage for our communities at home while at the same time providing support to those impacted by a disaster,” said State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple.
The Oregon Department of Forestry also is helping, dispatching 70 firefighters and 30 wildland fire engines on Wednesday, Jan. 8.
Firefighters from the Salem Fire Department work on Sunday, Jan. 12, to douse a hot spot at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. They are a part of a strike team from Oregon on assignment to the fire for two weeks. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)A Salem Fire Department truck arrives on Sunday, Jan. 12, to douse a hot spot at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Mike Stewart of the Salem Fire Department arrives on Sunday, Jan. 12, to douse a hot spot at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Zach Salvage (left) and Michael Laatsch of the Salem Fire Department arrive on Sunday, Jan. 12, to douse a hot spot at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Rubble is all that remains of a townhome complex on Palisades Drive in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday, Jan. 12. Nearly 400 Oregon firefighters have been dispatched to help with the California fires. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Michael Laatsch (left) and Zach Salvage of the Salem Fire Department arrive on Sunday, Jan. 12, to douse a hot spot at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. They are part of a strike team from Oregon on assignment to the fire for two weeks. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Michael Laatsch of the Salem Fire Department works on Sunday, Jan. 12, to douse a hot spot at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. He is part of a strike team from Oregon on assignment to the fire for two weeks. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Jim Trierweiler, (left) chief of the Marion County Fire Defense Board, and Troy Jurgens of the Mt. Angel Fire Department work the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 12. They are part of a strike team from Oregon on assignment to the fire for two weeks. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Michael Laatsch of the Salem Fire Department works on Sunday, Jan. 12, to douse a hot spot at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. He is part of a strike team from Oregon on assignment to the fire for two weeks. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Firefighters from the Salem Fire Department work on Sunday, Jan. 12, to douse a hot spot at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. They are part of a strike team from Oregon on assignment to the fire for two weeks. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Zach Salvage (left), Michael Laatsch (center) and Cody Welling of the Salem Fire Department work on Sunday, Jan. 12, to douse a hot spot at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. They are part of a strike team from Oregon on assignment to the fire for two weeks. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Zach Salvage (left), Michael Laatsch (center) and Cody Welling of the Salem Fire Department work on Sunday, Jan. 12, to douse a hot spot at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. They are part of a strike team from Oregon on assignment to the fire for two weeks. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Michael Laatsch (left) and Zach Salvage of the Salem Fire Department work on Sunday, Jan. 12, to douse a hot spot at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. They are part of a strike team from Oregon on assignment to the fire for two weeks. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Rubble is all that remains of a townhome complex on Palisades Drive in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday, Jan. 12. Nearly 400 Oregon firefighters have been dispatched to help with the California fires. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)A truck from the Salem Fire Department gets refilled on Sunday, Jan. 12, at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. The truck and crew are part of a strike team from Oregon on assignment to the fire for two weeks. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Michael Laatsch of the Salem Fire Department leads a crew on Sunday, Jan. 12, to check for hot spots around a house that was spared in the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Firefighters from the Salem Fire Department on Sunday, Jan. 12, check for hot spots at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. They are a part of a strike team from Oregon on assignment to the fire for two weeks. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Firefighters from the Salem Fire Department on Sunday, Jan. 12, check for hot spots at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. They are a part of a strike team from Oregon on assignment to the fire for two weeks. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Zach Salvage of the Salem Fire Department on Sunday, Jan. 12, checks for hot spots at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. He is a part of a strike team from Oregon on assignment to the fire for two weeks. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Zach Salvage of the Salem Fire Department on Sunday, Jan. 12, checks for hot spots at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. He is a part of a strike team from Oregon on assignment to the fire for two weeks. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Cars abandoned by drivers remain along Sunset Boulevard on Sunday, Jan. 12. They were destroyed in the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)Remains of the United Methodist Church in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 12. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)A convoy of the California National Guard vehicles arrives on Sunday, Jan. 12, at the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California. (DAVID ZAITZ/For Salem Reporter)
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Les Zaitz is editor and CEO of Salem Reporter. He co-founded the news organization in 2018. He has been a journalist in Oregon for nearly 50 years in both daily and community newspapers and digital news services. He is nationally recognized for his commitment to local journalism. He also is editor and publisher of the Malheur Enterprise in Vale, Oregon.