SoCal Fire Specialists Headed to Washington to Help Search for Mudslide Victims

Urban Search and Rescue experts from fire departments in Southern California are being sent to help in the search for victims of the massive mudslide in Osa, Washington, authorities said Tuesday.

Eighteen specialists from California's eight Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces are on their way to Washington, California Office of Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci said.

They include eight specialists from the Riverside City Fire Department, four from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, two from Los Angeles City Fire Department and one from the Orange County Fire Department.

Ghilarducci said the specialists were being sent at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The debris slide covered an area of about a square mile. Fourteen people have been found dead at the scene, with as many as 176 still unaccounted for, according to the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management.

The Seattle Times reported that the National Guard was expected to arrive Tuesday to assist in the search.

– City News Service.