An 18-member task force of Sacramento-area firefighters has been deployed to Nevada to help battle the Hawk Fire, which has destroyed homes and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate.
The task force includes firefighters from Metro Fire, Cosumnes Fire Department, West Sacramento and Modesto.
The crews are working alongside other firefighters through the CAL OES mutual aid system, which allows agencies to send resources to areas facing major emergencies.
"The mutual aid system is really built for this type of an incident, where we can pull from outlying regions, whether it be local, or whether it be statewide, or even beyond the statewide," Sacramento Metro Fire Capt. Mark Nunez "That's what we're currently doing."
Among those affected is Nevada resident Jayson Davis, who said he escaped the flames on a tractor as the fire approached his property.
"We're just tired at this point, because there's still stuff burning that we can't put out because it's underground," Davis said.
Davis said thick smoke made it difficult to see even people just feet away, and parts of his property continued to smolder after the fire passed.
"The smoke was so thick," Davis said. "I was driving the machine and my brother was fifteen, twenty feet in front of me and I couldn't see him."
GoFundMe fundraisers have been created for Davis and other homeowners affected by the fire, including a family of six.
Nunez said the deployment will be physically demanding for firefighters, who will spend more than two weeks away from their families while working in difficult conditions. Crews could be replaced by another group of firefighters if additional help is needed for longer than 16 days
"It's very taxing on the body, just to be gone for 16 days, away from your family, away from your fire family," Nunez said.
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