Alameda firefighters take part in strike team to battle 85,000-acre blaze on Oregon border

Four firefighters from Alameda got to celebrate the Labor Day holiday at home after returning safe from a 14-day deployment to a set of active forest fires near the California-Oregon border, the city’s fire department said on social media.

OES Engine 409 and @Cal_OES Strike Team 2802A have returned from their 14+ day deployment to the #SmithRiverComplex on the #SixRiversNF.

Welcome Home @AlamedaFire689!#MutualAid #CA #wildlandfirefighter pic.twitter.com/LILrSHrNF2

— City of Alameda Fire Department (@alamedacityfire) September 4, 2023

Personnel with Alameda’s OES Engine 409, part of the California Office of Emergency Services Strike Team 2802A, have returned from their two-week mutual aid deployment to the Smith River complex in the Six Rivers National Forest, just south of the Oregon border.

The Smith River complex includes at least 12 confirmed fires covering over 85,400 acres as of Tuesday. More than 3,000 firefighters are involved in battling the blaze.