Trained, professional firefighters like those battling the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires are vital to saving lives and mitigating disasters—but firefighter impersonators? Not so much. Even if they own their very own fire truck.
As the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department detailed in its Facebook post on January 19th, law enforcement located two individuals dressed in firefighting gear inside the Palisades Fire evacuation zone. Both wore “CAL-Fire” t-shirts under actual turnout jackets and helmets, as well as possessed multiple handheld radios. But the biggest prop of all was a bright red fire truck allegedly from Oregon emblazoned with “Roaring River Fire Department.”
According to Jalopnik on Tuesday, however, investigators still felt the pair “did not appear to be legitimate.” A look into the fire truck’s registration information revealed the vehicle not only wasn’t in service at the Roaring River Fire Department—the Roaring River Fire Department didn’t actually exist in the first place. It turned out that the truck had previously been purchased at an auction, presumably then decorated with the fake name.
Both suspects admitted to having unlawfully been inside the Palisades area on January 17th and 18th, one of whom also has a record in Oregon for criminal mischief and arson. Their exact motives for repeatedly visiting the evacuation area remain unclear. Investigators subsequently arrested the trespassers, charged them with impersonating a firefighter and entering an evacuation zone, and impounded the fire truck.
ABC News noted that a similar firefighter impersonation incident occurred earlier this month in Malibu, while “dozens of others” have also been arrested for various other incidents. On January 9th, an unapproved commercial drone flying above the Palisades fires struck the wing of a Canadair CL-415 Super Scoopers operating in Los Angeles. No one was injured, but the aircraft was forced to land and remains out of commission. Only one other Super Scooper plane is currently available to aid firefighting efforts there.
[ Related: This crowdsourcing app is a lifeline for Californians tracking wildfires ]
The Palisades fire alone has burned through an estimated 23,700 acres and destroyed over 6,000 structures since its outbreak on January 7th. At least 28 people have died as a result of the multiple blazes, while the Palisades fire is currently around 68 percent contained at the time of writing.
For verifiable information from actual professionals and community members, thousands of users have recently turned to Watch Duty, a free, crowdsourced wildfire information app. Secret Los Angeles features a resource list to help emergency responders and evacuees.
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