In response to the ongoing wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, a task force from the Riverside City Fire Department has been deployed to assist in rescue and recovery operations. The team, known as CA Task Force 6, is among 11 members of California’s search and rescue task forces deployed to Hawaii under the direction of Governor Gavin Newsom.
The deployment also includes personnel from California’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) specializing in mass fatality management. The wildfires, which started on Tuesday, have been catastrophic, claiming at least 36 lives so far.
In a statement, Governor Newsom expressed California’s solidarity with the people of Maui and all Hawaiians impacted by the devastating wildfires. He emphasized California’s intimate understanding of the toll taken by wildfires fuelled by climate change and pledged the state’s support to its Pacific neighbors in their time of need.
This recent deployment extends California’s ongoing efforts to provide emergency assistance to other states. Earlier this year, California sent firefighters, disaster recovery experts, and other personnel to Oregon, New Mexico, and Montana. In 2021, officials also deployed fire engines to assist Oregon’s response to the Bootleg Fire and sent specialized urban search and rescue resources teams to Florida following the Surfside condo collapse.