Eight members of the Merced City Fire Department have been deployed to assist in the firefighting effort of wildfires raging in southern California.
On Jan. 8, the department sent two fire engines, a California Office of Emergency Services engine, a City of Merced fire engine type 3 engine and a Battalion Chief serving as a strike team leader, said Merced Interim Fire Chief Casey Wilson. An additional person was deployed out of a Central Valley area regional team as part of a rescue task force to assist with the fighting of the wildfires on Jan. 11, and to assist with the searching of burned buildings.
“Initially the Merced City type 3 engine was assigned to the Hurst Fire,” Wilson said. “Once they got that under control they were actually re-assigned to the Palisades Fire. Our OES type 6 engine that was deployed initially on the eighth, was assigned to the Eaton Fire and they are still assigned to that incident.”…