Idaho firefighters heading to California to help with fires

BOISE, Idaho – Idaho fire departments are sending firefighters to help with blazes in Southern California.

Fire crews from Boise, Meridian, Kuna and Star left for California Thursday to help put out fires, KTVB-TV reported .

The 17 volunteer-based firefighters signed up to go after California sent out a call for help to various states on Wednesday as part of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, an agreement among all 50 states to share their resources with each other during natural and man-made disasters.

Fire departments in New Mexico have also sent personnel to work on the California fires.

News of the fire drew empathy from so many of firefighters from the Boise Fire Department, Captain Brian Ashton said they had to turn some down.

“It’s easy for us as a crew to go down, said Captain T.J. Lawrence with the Kuna Fire Department. “It kinda pulls at your heart strings to see all the havoc running and all the carnage going on down there.”

The firefighters will be in Southern California for the next two weeks providing support, Ashton said.

They are prepared to send more help after the 14 days if necessary.

“It’s a very overwhelming need for us to go help, you know, to make sure everyone can stay as safe as they can and save as much property and lives as possible, “ Lawrence said.

Fire crews from Sand Hollow Fire District, as well as the Parma and Emmett fire departments are also preparing to go to California.

California will be paying the crews for their help.