NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As the Caldor Fire continues to spread and caused Gov. Steve Sisolak to issue a state of emergency, our area is doing what it can to help our neighbors to the north.
A task force of first responders from the Clark County, North Las Vegas, and Pahrump fire departments is on its way toward Lake Tahoe right now.
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Nevada Emergency Management requested the help, and the southern part of the state answered the call with 20 of its finest.
“I think everybody that’s getting deployed on this assignment is extremely excited to be able to go up and help out,” said Kenny Holding, a battalion chief with the Clark County Fire Dept.
With more than 50,000 people evacuated, the Caldor Fire continues to exhaust the crews up north. And now our region is being asked for help.
“It’s a great thing," said Holding. "It shows the camaraderie that’s shared among fire departments and first responders.”
Local resources are being stretched thin, so our contingent will answer the standard emergency calls to provide relief. And no matter the mission, it’s looked at with a sense of pride.
“It means a lot for us to be able to extend our hand to our brothers up north,” said Capt. David Carraway with the North Las Vegas Fire Department.
It is a veteran crew going up to the Lake Tahoe area, so nerves are a non-issue.
“More butterflies than anything," said Carraway. "I’m kind of excited just to go up there and see what we have and lend a hand where we can.”
This fire has burned through about 200,000 acres--and if this deployment manages to save lives and save homes, that is all that matters to this crew.
“We just really hope that we can go up there and provide that extra help that those departments need right now,” said Holding.
Depending on developments, their deployment could last up to two weeks.
DAILY DEBRIEF: AN IN-DEPTH LOOK INTO THIS STORY
