Laguna firefighters help battle Ventura fire

Laguna Beach sent three fire engines and seven firefighters to help combat a fire in Ventura County, according to an official.

The first unit left Laguna at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, with those firefighters working 24 straight hours, Laguna Beach Fire Department Chief Jeff LaTendresse said.

Firefighters, under Division Chief Dan Stefano’s direction, protected structures and helped lay hose lines, LaTendresse said.

“They got an incredible experience protecting structures and doing what we train them to do,” he said.

Another engine left Laguna at 4:30 a.m. Friday.

“We anticipate [more firefighters] will be assigned [Saturday] depending on what the fire does,” LaTendresse said.

Laguna Beach still has a full fleet of fire engines despite the three in Ventura County.

“We’re continuing to monitor the weather conditions [in Laguna Beach], but we’ve been spared any incidents,” LaTendresse said.

The Camarillo Springs fire has charred 10,000 acres and damaged 15 homes as of Friday, the Ventura County Fire Department reported.

The fire is 10% contained and threatening 4,000 homes — so far none have been destroyed, according to the Ventura County Fire Department’s Facebook page. There are 954 firefighters battling the blaze, with more en route, the department said.

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Fundraiser

Meanwhile, burn victims, fire engines and support vehicles will roll into town for a fundraising event at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at Fire Station One next to City Hall, 505 Forest Ave.

The caravan will collect donations to support local burn centers and foundations, and burn survivors and their families, a city news release said.

The event is part of a weeklong fundraising drive where the caravan travels to all Southern California fire agencies.

Firefighters founded the organization in 1996 after Glendale firefighter Bill Jensen was seriously burned during a Malibu firestorm, according to the release.