45-member Nevada team en route to help in Maui
A 45-person team from Nevada deployed on short notice today for Hawaii to help victims involved in the deadly firestorm on Maui.
The official death toll stood at 55 as of Friday afternoon with hundreds injured and about 1,000 structures destroyed. The historic town of Lahaina was especially hard hit with many people having to jump into the ocean to escape the fast-moving flames.
Earlier, a team that included two search dogs was called by the Federal Management Agency to go to Hawaii. One canine and four members of Nevada Task Force 1 departed the Las Vegas airport at 4:30 p.m. Thursday to meet up with a fifth member and another canine in Maui, Billy Samuels of the Clark County Fire Department said in an email.
While the smaller team was at the airport preparing to depart, an informal request came in from FEMA and asked if NV-TF1 could support a Type III response.
The official request was received by the NV-TF1 office at 6 p.m. Thursday.
The office sent an alert Thursday evening for a 45-person team prepare for deployment.
A Type III deployment consists of people to fill the following positions: hazmat, search, plans, tech information specialist, heavy rigging operator, drivers, rescue, canine and a medical component, to include a physician.
Agencies that sent staffers include Clark County Fire Department, Henderson Fire Department, North Las Vegas Fire Department, Las Vegas Fire Department, Boulder City Fire Department, and civilians, Samuels said.
The team departed Harry Reid International Airport at 11:45 a.m. today with an estimated arrival in Maui at 2:55 p.m. HST.
“On behalf of NV-TF1, we would like express our gratitude, and a thank you for your patience and willingness to help serve,” Samuels wrote in his release. “The relationships we have in this valley never go unnoticed and are greatly appreciated.”
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on X.
