A group of 64 firefighters from Utah responded to California’s call for frontline help with last week’s destructive wildfires, and find themselves on the ground in the Malibu area working to prevent the large destructive Palisades fire from spreading.

“I think the biggest thing for a lot of us is just feeling like we’re maybe on some kind of a movie set, or some kind of apocalyptic movie. The sheer destruction is, kind of overwhelming,” said Kelly Bird, a spokesperson from Unified Fire who is in California with crews of Utah firefighters.

Last Thursday, the group of firefighters and mechanics from various agencies in Utah met together and made their way to California to join the fight. The group drove through the night and arrived in California Friday morning.

The Utah crews are working to help contain the Palisades fire, the biggest and most destructive of the fires burning in Southern California.

What have the Utah firefighters been doing in California?

After they arrived Friday, the Utah crews were assigned to work on the fire line in Encino. They worked in a defensive, structure protection position, preparing for the Palisades fire to hit that area. This work focused on protecting residences, finding hazards, checking water pressure in hydrants and other prep work.

These firefighters work 24 hours on and 24 off, so after working through Saturday they had Sunday off. On Monday morning the Utah crews were were reassigned to the Malibu area.

Bird said they were assigned to residential areas that the fire had already burned through and wiped out pretty significantly. There they did mop up work, “going through the different residences and looking for hot spots, looking for anything that was smoldering and smoking, and just making sure everything was fully extinguished.”

They then spent Monday night on patrol, ready to tackle any flames that started due to the strong winds picking back up.

Tuesday is another day off for the Utah firefighters and they will be reassigned again on Wednesday.

What life is like for these Utah firefighters

Bird said residents in the area have taken very good care of these Utah firefighters, with plenty of food being donated as they help fight the fire.

“People find us wherever we are, and they bring us catered meals, they bring us burritos, they bring us snacks, granola bars, cases of water, cases of drinks, and it’s just non-stop,” Bird said. “We’re just glad and happy that we can provide that little bit of relief for them.”

The Utah crews were originally going to be housed in a Hotel in downtown Los Angeles but then were moved to Santa Monica.

The firefighters are staying in an office building, taking over space on a vacant third floor. Portable bathrooms and showers have been brought in for the crews to use. The crews have their own sleeping gear, they have taken their own spots on the floor with the firefighters sleeping in sleeping bags and on cots.

Utah firefighters shared what the destruction from the fires is like

Bird said that the biggest difference between this and other fires he’s worked is the amount of urban areas that have been impacted, as most wildfires happen in the mountains, further away from cities. The amount of destruction from these fires is unlike anything he’s seen before.

“Just the magnitude of and volume of people that have been impacted, is definitely impactful for us,” Bird said.

He shared that as they were working, they came across one house that had been destroyed that they could tell had been a very nice house.

They looked it up and saw it was advertised $12 million home in a nice location, Bird described his realization at that moment.

“This was somebody’s … their everything. This was something they had worked for and built and enjoyed, and now it’s gone,” Bird said. “And you know, that happens over and over and over again, with all these people here losing their homes and losing all their personal possessions.”

According to Bird, the fire is dying down but he expects the Utah group will be in California through the entirety of their 14 day deployment.

The conditions in California with dry conditions, low humidity and high winds made it the perfect place for fires to ignite and spread rapidly.

“Once those winds and fire mix, there’s there’s just no stopping it,” Bird said. “So the reason why it wiped things out is that just it overwhelmed the whole system, and they weren’t able to get a handle on it because the winds just blew it from one structure to the next in a matter of seconds.”

SALT LAKE CITY — Going to a Utah Jazz game is more than just basketball. After pausing for a few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nu Skin Stunt Team is back — and it’s a performance you don’t want to miss.

“We just really enjoy having them. They have so much energy and the athleticism that they bring is unmatched,” said Meikle LaHue, the Utah Jazz director of entertainment. “They are so impressive and the entertainment that they bring is, I mean, I’m on the edge of my seat when I watch them perform because the tricks they do are just crazy.”

Working for the Jazz is a dream come true for the stunt team members.

“This is the pinnacle of what it gets to be on a stunt team for being a professional cheerleader for the NBA. It doesn’t get any better than that, in our sport,” said national champion Hailey D’Lynn. “Being able to wear this team name on my chest, it’s amazing and it’s a dream come true, it’s what we all strive for.”

Rookie Cameron Canada added: “This has been a dream of mine for like as long as I picked up the sport and just to be able to be this close to the NBA and represent the state of Utah in front of all the fans, grateful to be having this opportunity.”

The Stunt Team was started 12 years ago. They spent 10 years entertaining Jazz fans, and when it went away, the performers missed being on the Delta Center floor.

“Last year, [Coach] announced ‘the Stunt Team is going to make a comeback this year,’ and I was so excited I was like, ‘Finally! Yes, I’ve been waiting for this,’” cheered the longest-tenured member, Elsa Hassett.

Head Coach Summer Willis shared how rare it is to see stunt teams in the NBA.

“You don’t see a lot of stunt teams on the professional level so the fact that we get to be one of them and represent is just a huge opportunity,” said Willis.

The Nu Skin Stunt Team performs at Utah Jazz games throughout the season during timeouts and quarter breaks.

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Utah’s bid to gain control over millions of acres of federal land, dealing a blow to the state’s efforts to assert greater authority over its natural resources.

Why It Matters

Federal agencies currently oversee nearly 70 percent of Utah’s land, including areas crucial for energy production, mining, grazing and outdoor recreation. Utah officials have argued that state control would ensure better local governance and unlock revenue opportunities through taxation and development. However, the state’s proposal excluded its iconic national parks and monuments from the transfer.

Utah’s push for control highlights a broader debate over federal land management in the West, where sprawling landscapes often fall under the jurisdiction of agencies like the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Critics of federal oversight argue it limits economic potential, while supporters counter that it safeguards public lands for conservation and recreational use.

What To Know

In a brief order on Monday, the high court denied the Republican-led state’s request to file a lawsuit aimed at transferring ownership of approximately half of Utah’s federally managed land, an area comparable in size to South Carolina.

The Supreme Court, as is customary in such instances, provided no explanation for its decision, stating only that “the motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied.”

The decision comes after Utah sued in August to try to gain control of 18.5 million acres that is held by the federal government.

The filing, which state leaders said was the result of “decades of legal analysis,” targeted BLM land “unappropriated” to parks, monuments or other national sites.

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams, House Speaker Mike Schultz and Attorney General Derek Brown said they were disappointed in the court’s decision.

The federal Bureau of Land Management declined to comment to The Associated Press.

What People Are Saying

Republican Utah Governor Spencer Cox said in August: “Utah deserves priority when it comes to managing its land. It’s been a tragedy to see what this administration and past administrations have done to our land, closing down roads that have been open for generations.”

Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams, House Speaker Mike Schultz and Attorney General Derek Brown said in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune: “We are also heartened to know the incoming [Trump] administration shares our commitments to the principle of ‘multiple use’ for these federal lands and is committed to working with us to improve land management. We will continue to fight to keep public lands in public hands because it is our stewardship, heritage and home.”

Utah House Minority Leader Angela Romero, a Democrat, praised the Supreme Court’s decision in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune as a “win for all Americans and the protection of our environment. Today’s actions serve as an important reminder that our public lands should not be privatized or exploited for short-term benefits.”

What Happens Next

While it’s unclear what state officials will do next, the state said in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune that they “remain able and willing to challenge any BLM land management decisions that harm Utah.”

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.