North Idaho firefighters continue to battle the wildfires in LA

RATHDRUM, Idaho (AP) — Northern Idaho firefighters are working 24-hour shifts to search for hot spots, reduce embers and protect homes as wildfires continue to rage in Southern California.

“They were able to protect 50 homes, prepare them for any fire in their area and in the area they monitored,” said Chris Larson, deputy fire chief for the Northern Lakes Fire District.

According to the Northern Lakes Fire District, the four-person team left in the early morning hours of Jan. 10 and drove to San Bernardino.

The NLFD team includes Battalion Chief Brad Belmont, Captain Eric Sorenson, Engineer Tyler Turrell and Firefighter/Paramedic Josh Gernns.

“And that’s a pretty extensive job, removing brush, furniture, putting away anything that’s flammable around a home,” Larson said.

The Kamiah Fire Department also sent crews to the Los Angeles area, and Fire Chief Billy Monahan, who is on the scene in LA, says the work was tiring.

Monahan says crews start their day around 3 a.m. working on fire lines to ensure the fire doesn’t spread beyond the fire boundary.

“Emotionally, the hardest thing for us is to see another person who has lost all of their possessions and their home … to see another person emotionally accept that everything they have is gone,” Monahan said.

With Monahan in LA are engineer Mike Grogan, firefighters Mathan Osborn and Myatt Osborn, and Orofino Fire Department Deputy Chief Josh Pospychalla.

These crews are just a few of a team of around 5,000 firefighters from across the country working to battle the devastating fires that have burned around 23,000 hectares of land.

“Just try to help them in any way you can when they come to the area and view their home. They’re slowly letting residents back in,” Monahan said.

Other fire departments from across Idaho such as Sun Valley, Orofino, Swan Lake, White Bird and Worley all work together in LA.

The two North Idaho teams say they are unsure when their assignments in Los Angeles will end and emphasize their gratitude for their families back home as they await their safe return.