PORTLAND, Ore. — Hundreds of Oregon firefighters and 75 of their fire engines are in northern California right now. It is grueling work -- on the fire lines for 24 hours straight -- then getting one day of rest in between.
There are a total of 290 firefighters from Oregon. Most of those crews drove the over 8 hours down to get to the fires Friday night. They'll be there for a maximum of 14 days, but they could come home sooner.
It's an opportunity to make a lot of money in overtime, but the work comes with a lot of mental and physical stress. Crews from Portland, Clackamas, Gresham, Bend, La Grande and many others are protecting homes, digging lines to stop the flames and, sadly, they're actually working with a mobile DNA lab and anthropologists to help find and identify the dead in the rubble.
Photos: Oregon firefighters helping in California
Hillsboro Deputy Chief Scott Magers arrived Friday night and is working with the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office. It is the only entity that is allowed to talk to the media, or send out photos from the fire lines. Cal-Fire officials are really keeping everyone on a tight leash of photos and information of the devastation.
"A lot of people don't know whether their house is still there or not," Dep. Chief Magers said. "The general consensus is, that's not the best way for you to find out something bad or tragic in your life is by a picture taken by a firefighter. And realistically, we have a job to do and it's not sitting there taking pictures."
Magers says the best moments have come when they can cross names off the missing list, folks who just couldn't get cell service and are safe in another city or with friends.
Gresham firefighters shared a photo (above) with KGW of one of their crews on a street outside Chico with a German Shepard they found wandering in the rubble. He jumped in their rig and was taken to a shelter to find his family.
"To watch a community band together around a neighboring city that is struggling so much is actually awe inspiring. It's hard to put into words what this community must be feeling and for us, it's truly an honor to be here to help them," said Magers.