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Nevada firefighters off to aid California

From staff and wire reports
Tuesday, October 28, 2003 4:40 PM PST

ELKO - Scores of Nevada firefighters headed for Southern California Monday, including several local firefighters, to help battle fires that have destroyed at least 1,100 homes and killed at least 17 people.

Frank Siracusa, chief of Nevada's division of emergency management, said 75 firefighters, nine trucks and other pieces of equipment, and two helicopters were sent to what has turned into California's deadliest outbreak of fires in more than a decade.

Three engines from Elko County were sent Monday and two more will be sent today, according to the Elko dispatch center.

"We are filling requests as we get them," said Bill Roach, Elko Interagency Dispatch Center manager.

A U.S. Forest Service engine and two U.S. Bureau of Land Management engines, each with a three-person crew, were dispatched Monday from the Elko area.

An engine from the Elko Fire Department and the Nevada Division of Forestry also will be sent to California today.

These engines will be manned by Elko Fire Capt. Dave Bixler, Elko firefighter Dan Bledsoe, Lee Engine Company Capt. Rober Lino, Lee Engine Company Lt. Vic Peterson, Lee Engine Company volunteer firefighter Glenn Murphy, Spring Creek volunteer firefighters Barry Wadford and Matt Petersen and NDF firefighter Melvin Knudsen.

"We are a small part," said Elko Fire Chief Alan Kightlinger. "We did a polling and we were able to meet the governor's request. We did our best to fullfill that request because we never know when we may be on the request side."

The Nevada help was sent following a phone request from California Gov. Gray Davis to Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn on Monday and "the governor said we're happy to provide whatever assistance we can," Guinn spokesman Greg Bortolin said.

Siracusa said he expects the number of Nevada people and equipment going to California to increase over the next couple of days to help quell flames that have burned more than 400,000 acres.

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