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Cross-border firefighters unite

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - The L.A fires destroyed many homes and took the lives of many people, but some local firefighters managed to gain not just new friends, but brothers from across the border.

"Making a difference for your community and making a difference for your country and at the end of the day you know we are representing two countries you know we are representing you know Mexico and the U.S. at the same time...You get a lot of feelings," said Jorge Villanueva, Fire Engineer with Calexico Fire Department (CFD).

Imperial County Batallion Chief Hector Garcia says the groups were split into two, with some helping the Mexican firefighters and the other group helping the Mexican military.

"On our team we were with the Mexican Military...for them they had different assignments...so they were assigned to the search and rescue...and their assignment was to go out and start looking through the debris fields and see if they can find any human remains or anything of value so we can make note of it and start doing damage  assessment on the properties," said Victor Felix with the El Centro Fire Department (ECFD).

Article Topic Follows: Imperial County

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Karina Bazarte

Karina Bazarte joined the KYMA team as a reporter in September 2022.
Reach out to Karina with story ideas and tips at: karina.bazarte@kecytv.com

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