Gov. Walz announces Minnesota firefighters will assist with LA fires

Gov. Tim Walz announced that a crew of Minnesota wildland firefighters from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have been sent to Southern California to help fight the ongoing wildfires.

“Minnesota stands with Southern California and will do whatever we can to help the thousands of families impacted by wildfires,” said Gov. Walz. “I am immensely proud of our emergency responders who are stepping up and providing critical support. They are protecting communities and saving lives.”

The 10-person crew departed from Grand Rapids Friday morning, January 24. The crew is described as “highly skilled and specially trained in all aspects of wildland fire suppression, including structure triage, fire line construction, pump operations, and chainsaw use.”

These fires originally developed in early January in California.

“It’s heartbreaking to see the disastrous impacts of the Southern California wildfires on human life, property, infrastructure, and resources,” said DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen. “I’m proud that DNR’s wildland firefighters are answering the call to support these critical and life-saving response efforts with fellow emergency responders.”