Utah fire crews head west to assist with massive Park Fire in California

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (KUTV) — Firefighters from across the state of Utah are heading to California to assist with the massive Park Fire burning in the northern part of the state.

This latest deployment is part of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), which is in response to the need put forth by western states.

The batch of 44 fire personnel involves engines fromCarbon County, North Fork, Draper, Murray, Washington City, Provo, Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Unified Fire Authority, South Jordan and Sandy.

They're replacing an EMAC crew that deployed from Utah more than two weeks ago to Oregon, who were later extended and moved to California.

This deployment isn't a new EMAC agreement, but an amendment, according to the Utah Division of Emergency Management.

At the beginning of August, the Utah Department of Natural Resources and several other organizations announced given the forecasted persistence of hot and dry conditions along with an uptick in lightning activity, Utah firefighters will be held within the state.

RELATED:Utah fire crews head west to assist with massive Park Fire in California

However, this EMAC deployment doesn't apply to this given the amended agreement for an outstanding request.

According to Cal Fire, the Park Fire is burning in four counties and has burned roughly 427,000 acres with 34% containment. More than 6,500 fire personnel are assigned to the massive fire. Between Butte and Tehama Counties, the Park Fire has destroyed nearly 650 structures and has damaged nearly 50 more.

A 42-year-old man from Chico, California was arrested the day after the Park Fire sparked (July 24, 2024), in connection with an arson investigation.

As of Thursday, August 8, the latest round of Utah firefighters were still en-route to California and are scheduled to arrive on Friday evening.

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