Around 200 Texas firefighters are in California battling the wildfires. Among the group deployed are heroes from North Texas, including Dallas, Plano, Flower Mound, McKinney and many other fire departments.
WFAA checked in with the McKinney crew on Friday. “We’re part of a task force out of Texas. There are 10 strike teams,” said Captain Ben Jones with McKinney Fire Department. McKinney Fire Department has four firefighters in California, working 24-hour shifts.
Jones and his crew were deployed to Southern California to fight the Woolsey Fire, where three people are dead and more than 600 buildings are gone.
“Everything is total devastation. Just as far as you can see, burned vegetation. The area we are working in, the whole canyon is pretty much burned up," Jones said.
At the same time, the situation is even worse in Northern California. The Butte County Camp Fire is the deadliest in the state’s history. At least 63 people are dead and more than 600 people are unaccounted for. Nearly 12,000 structures and homes are destroyed. “Help where people are hurting,” said Jones.
It’s taking a nation of fire crews to contain both the Northern and Southern California fires, and it’s still a long way to go. “Whatever they need, we’re here to help," he said.