Six more engines left Arizona Saturday night to aid the firefighting efforts in California. A total of 168 firefighters are helping from the state, but it’s unknown when they’ll be able to come home.
Tiffany Davila, with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, said the agency hopes crews will return by Friday, but it all depends on the need.
“The winds are just unbearable," Davila said. "It’s basically the winds versus the firefighters at this point. You know, just erratic winds, erratic fire behavior and our crews are saying that it’s just a big monster of a fire.”
While most Arizona crews have been battling the Thomas Fire, Davila says these new crews will be staging for the next wind event expected in California.
They’ll also relieve firefighters who have timed out, meaning they’ve been on duty for 14 to 21 days.
