LA Fire Department Helps Fight Rim Fire Near Yosemite

SoCal fire officials responded after the blaze began threatening San Francisco's power and water supply

The raging wildfire near Yosemite National Park has prompted the Los Angeles Fire Department to aid in the firefight as of Friday, the same day Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in San Francisco.

The LAFD assigned a strike team of 23 firefighters to help battle the 196-square-mile Rim Fire, which is burning about 150 miles east of San Francisco and threatening the city's electrical infrastructure, officials said.

After an emergency aid request was sent by the governor's office, LA fire officials dispatched to help take down the brush fire that recently reached Yosemite National Park.

The blaze erupted Aug. 17 and has grown to more than three times the size of San Francisco as of Saturday.

More than 4,500 homes are threatened in its path, and numerous homes have been destroyed.

"The biggest challenge is the fire itself," Lee Bentley of the U.S. Forest Service told NBC4’s Bay Area affiliate. "It's just too doggone dangerous."

More Southern California Stories:

Contact Us