When it comes to fighting wildfires around the country, Wyoming’s wildland responders don’t pick and choose when and where to offer help. They go when and where duty calls.
Right now, that’s to southern California to battle devastating wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area.
“It’s only fair and right, and just to help those who have helped us out,” said Chris Fallbeck, assistant fire manager officer for aviation and training for Wyoming State Forestry.
As of Monday morning, 24 Wyoming firefighters were actively fighting the devastating wildfires in Southern California with five fire engines. They are made up of crews from Albany County, Yoder, Fremont County, Mills and Casper Mountain.
Fallbeck said another task force with five more engines based out of Laramie County is scheduled to depart no later than 6 a.m. Tuesday for California. This does not include another five engines from Teton, Sublette, Washakie and Campbell counties scheduled to leave in the next few days.
The fires in the Los Angeles area have burned more than 40,000 acres and forced some 150,000 people to evacuate, in addition to killing at least 24 people. The Palisades Fire, the largest, was 13% contained as of Monday morning. The Eaton Fire, which has killed 16 people — making it one of the deadliest in California’s history — was 33% contained. The causes of the fires remain under investigation.
How It Works
Wyoming is part of a state and federal network of fire responders that report to wildfires across the country when needed. Yoder Fire District Chief Justin Burkart said his crew fought 25 fires around the nation last year from Minnesota to Oregon, including the Elk Fire in northern Wyoming that they spent 2,000 man-hours on.
Fallbeck said this system dates back to at least the Yellowstone National Park fires of 1988.
California has put out a mass call for help in fighting the fires and the nation has responded with nearly 14,000 responders already.
Likewise, when wildfires erupted in Wyoming this past summer, Fremont County Fire District Chief Ron Wempen said California responders came and assisted with the Pack Trail Fire.
“It’s a way to return thanks,” Wempen said, adding that political or cultural differences have no factor in deciding whether to respond to a fire. “It doesn’t matter. It didn’t matter to them, it doesn't matter to us.”
Fallbeck said because of fires drastically increasing across the nation over the last few decades, Wyoming fire crews have been on-call in a more year-round capacity than seasonally.
Both Fremont County and Yoder crews left for California last Wednesday and arrived Thursday. They are expected to work there for at least 14 days unless they are no longer needed before that time.
Burkart said they are typically working 16-hour days the entire time.
Some of his Yoder crew has been camped in tents in the parking lot of the historic Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena.
Burkart said his staff is actually quite versed in fighting fires in California, spending about four months there fighting fires last year and building national contacts along the way.
“We’re pretty familiar with the area,” he said.
Neither Wempen nor Burkart said their crews have had any close calls yet with fire.
Yoder and Fremont County crews are assigned to the Eaton Fire, which has burned parts of Altadena, which is just north of Pasadena. Wempen said his crew is putting out hot spots in urban areas that have already burned and making sure gas lines are turned off.
“Everything is going really well,” Wempen said.
Some of the Yoder crew is on structure protection duty and preparing for predicted winds in the coming days.
Bad Forecast
A red flag warning is in place for parts of Los Angeles city and county, with wind gusts of up to 70 mph forecast between 4 a.m. Tuesday and noon Wednesday — strong enough to potentially cause “explosive fire growth,” according to the National Weather Service.
Burkart said there’s not much that can be done to prevent fire growth in these situations. He said the fire conditions in California mimic a lot of what they saw with large wildfires in Wyoming last summer.
“It could flare back up again,” he said. “There’s just nothing you can do. It’s just an act of nature.”
A crew from the Fremont County Fire Protection District hoses down a burned telephone pole in Southern California. (Fremont County Fire Protection District) 
A Fremont County Fire Protection District crew in the Los Angeles area helping fight wildfires found a familiar place to take a quick break — the intersection of Wyoming Street and Newport Avenue. (Fremont County Fire Protection District) 
Brush 31 is one of a pair of trucks the Yoder Fire Protection District has in Southern California to help fight devastating wildfires there. (Courtesy Brent Anderson, Yoder Fire Protection District) 
Engine 151 from the Fremont County Fire Protection District is in California helping fight devastating wildfires there. (Fremont County Fire Protection District) 
Homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades community. Multiple wildfires fueled by intense Santa Ana Winds are burning across Los Angeles County. (Photo by Jay L. Clendenin, Getty Images) 
Flames from the Palisades Fire approach homes in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Tiffany Rose, Getty Images) 
A firefighting helicopter drops water as the Sunset Fire burns in the Hollywood Hills of Southern California. (Photo by Mario Tama, Getty Images) 
View of damaged structures and homes caused by the Palisades Wildfires in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 11, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin, Getty Images) 
A man sprays water on the remains of a home that burned in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California. Powerful Santa Ana winds are pushing wildfires across the region, killing at least 24 people so far. (Photo by David McNew, Getty Images)
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
