Even as high winds and dry conditions led to a worsening wildfire outlook for Southern Californians already dealing with at least 24 dead, and millions in the Los Angeles area under an evacuation warning due to several fast-moving fires, multiple crews from the Pikes Peak region are now on the front lines, helping where they can to fight the conflagration.

Four firefighters and one truck from the Stratmoor Fire Department headed west on Jan. 8 to aid in the fire fight.

The crew includes Engine Boss John Ortiz, Engine Boss Trainee Jennifer Sampson, Firefighter Type 2 Sam Allison, and Firefighter Type 1 Trainee AJ Patalano.

They were assigned to fight the Eaton Fire which is in east Los Angeles north of Pasadena. Ortiz said they’re working in urban areas in a lot of subdivisions.

When the crew first arrived Jan. 10 for the first 2-3 days they worked on securing the fire line and ensuring the fire stayed in the footprint it already made, according to Ortiz. This included putting out hot spots around downed structures to ensure no additional standing structures would burn, he said.

“It’s different from Colorado fires. Dealing with thousands of homes lost, sets a different reminder of how destructive a fire can be.”

Going into Wednesday the crew was doing prep work for expected wind storms by hitting all the hot spots around the fire’s border.

Ortiz says it is especially important to make sure all the hot spots are put out now so the expected high winds coming in Tuesday night or Wednesday won’t pick up sparks and carry them.

The crew is assisting law enforcement whenever needed in urban search and rescue. They are also getting familiar with unburned areas, in case those areas are ignited by the incoming wind storm.

Stratmoor Fire Chief Shawn Bittle says they have also been doing some humanitarian relief.

“We found a lady camping in her yard who didn’t evacuate,” Ortiz said. “She needed food and supplies so we gave her what we had on our truck. There are also blessing buckets around with first aid supplies & food/water. If we saw someone who needed assistance we gave them one.”

Ortiz said they are allowed to work 14 consecutive days, meaning the Stratmoor truck could be working the California fires until Jan. 23.

Ortiz says this experience has been unlike any experience in his career of over 20 years.

“I’ve been doing wildland firefighting since 2002 and this is the most catastrophic fire I’ve been to,” Ortiz said. “This type of deployment is completely different from normal wildfire. Using my experience and knowledge to keep my crew safe and have them learn from.”

According to Bittle, 60 trucks total were sent from Colorado, generally four firefighters per truck.

Another Colorado crew in California is a four-person squad with the Colorado Springs Fire Department, which left Friday.

Three of the four-person team used to call California home, making the mission all the more special to them. The team includes firefighters Guillermo Zavala and Ryan Morris, Lt. Aaron Holslag and Driver/Engineer Nick Cruz.

“I lived in Orange County and the hills back there burned every year,” Morris said. “We saw the crews walking up in there and it was just something I always wanted to help out with.”

Both Zavala and Cruz also lived in California before moving to Colorado Springs and joining the city’s fire department. All three still have family in California.

“I’m really excited to get them out there because I know they want to get to their friends and family and be able to help,” Holslag told The Gazette the day the crew left.

Peterson Space Force Base has sent an Air Force Reserves Unit to help fight the wildfires, too, according to Gazette news partner KOAA.

That unit will be equipped with an aircraft designed to fight fires, the TV station reported.

The large-scale fires started Tuesday Jan. 7, growing quickly due to the powerful Santa Ana winds. The Associated Press has reported at least 24 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon, with 88,000 residents under evacuation orders, and thousands more left with no power.

The flames have destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in the Los Angeles area. AccuWeather, a private firm that provides weather data, estimated the toll to be about $250 billion-$275 billion as of Tuesday afternoon, a number that is expected to continue to rise.