Pasadena Fire Department Sends Engine Company, Battalion Chief to Brush Fire Burning in Hoopa

The Pasadena Fire Department has committed an engine company and a battalion chief to a mutual aid strike team fighting the Hoopa brush fire in Northern California.

Hoopa is a community within and adjacent to the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation in Humboldt County.

The MP 18 Fire had burned approximately 2,107 acres and was 10% contained as of the most recent official incident update available early Aug. 12. The fire started Aug. 7, and its cause remains under investigation.

The Pasadena crew responded at approximately 5 p.m. on Tuesday as part of Strike Team 1201A, a five-engine team drawn from multiple agencies, according to city chief communications officer Lisa Derderian.

Pasadena’s commitment consists of Engine 34 and its four personnel, along with a battalion chief who is serving as the strike team leader, Derderian reported.

The fire continues to threaten structures, power lines, tribal timberlands, and natural and cultural resources, fire officials said.

The Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, in Humboldt County, encompasses about 85,445 acres and is generally described as California’s largest reservation by land area. The Hoopa Valley Tribe operates its own volunteer fire department and emergency-services program.

The 1950 California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement obligates cities and counties statewide to share fire, police and medical resources during disasters — Pasadena participates under this framework, coordinated operationally through Cal Office of Emergency Services’ Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System.

Pasadena isn’t stuck footing the bill — the California Fire Assistance Agreement reimburses local agencies for personnel, apparatus, and travel after the first 12 hours of a response (4 hours for Department of Interior agencies), with rates set by a joint CFAA Committee.

The 2020 season alone saw Pasadena resources deployed 218 cumulative days; the department currently maintains a standing five-engine strike team specifically for this purpose.