Oregon fire vehicles were not delayed in California

SALEM – The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office says social media claims that firefighters and their vehicles from Oregon were not delayed due to emissions problems. Officials from California say emission standards were waived for crews that were responding from out of state to fight the fires in Los Angeles.

“To be clear, this is false,” read a statement from OSFM. “No engine was turned away.”

Vehicles from out-of-state fire departments did undergo safety checks. OSFM states that all of the teams completed those checks and arrived in southern California in time to begin their shifts. The safety checks did not, according to Oregon officials, cause any delays in the projected travel time.

California fire officials said brakes and other equipment were checked and, if necessary, were repaired.

The OSFM sent additional teams to the fires over the weekend. There are now a total of 21 strike teams and there are 360 firefighters from Oregon in California. The wind-fed wildfires have killed at least 24 people and burned 40,000 acres in the greater Los Angeles area. More than 12,300 structures have been destroyed. At last report, 92,000 residents have been evacuated and another 89,000 are in evacuation warning zones.

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