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‘It’s all rubble’ – Utah’s UFA Task Force 1 reports from the front lines of a California fire

Posted at 5:29 PM, Nov 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-15 19:29:36-05

SALT LAKE CITY — Unified Fire Authority Task Force 1 is working on the Woolsey Fire in Southern California, a devastated area they said they’re trying to help.

“As generic as this may sound, sometimes it looks like planet mars,” UFA Spokesman Ryan Love said. “Something that you’ve never seen before. Black, gray, it’s about all you see and then just rubble."

Ruins of a life that once thrived in the area, now Love said is piles of rubble.

“Last night, I was standing in a pile of rubble and I didn’t even realize that it was actually part of somebody’s house,” Love said. “It’s kind of a surreal to be standing somewhere that used to be so beautiful.”

Now, Love said the goal is to help the community through the destruction. Love and his team are responding to 911 calls for Ventura County — calls that mostly involve smoke in the area and putting out active fires still torching the area.

“These people have lost their homes,” Love saod. “People ask us all the time how do you feel about missing Thanksgiving with your family. That’s the last thing we think about when we’re out here. It’s hard not to think about those who have lost homes.”

While Love is away from home, he said his wife has been taking care of their three kids who caught the flu.

Love said he is grateful the community is taking care of them, mentioning his wife has been receiving gifts on her doorstep every day.

“I want to say thank you to all the loved ones that we are missing out here,” Love said. “They are the ones that are the true heroes.”