Local fire captain shares Woosley Fire experience

After returning home last week from the Woosley Fire in the Los Angeles area, 13 On Your Side caught up with Yuma Fire Department Captain Tony DeAnda for insight into what it was like going against mother nature.

“The area we were covering was evacuated but some the residents did not evacuate,” said DeAnda.

This is the second time in 2018 both Yuma and Imperial County firefighters teamed up to send 21 firefighters to the front lines.

“In my experience I been to numerous forest fires before, they’re all different,” said DeAnda. “Our shifts went from anywhere from 24 to 30 but the process is very quick. We get the phone call, we get activated, and there are a lot of moving parts.”

With an eight-hour drive to reach the Thousand Oaks area, they prepared themselves in what to expect. Firefighters faced strong winds, harsh smoke, and long hours to contain the fire.

As far as Yuma is to Los Angeles, they kept residents safe from the fire and were there in support in one of California’s deadliest wildfires.

“We did have a lot of concerned residents that came up to us and asked about the conditions of the fire. Besides keeping our eyes on the operation, we also had to be aware that there were resident to protect and keep safe,” DeAnda added.

13 On Your Side wants to thank all the firefighters serving the desert southwest and their families for their support.