Joe Baca: “I would first like to thank all the firefighters and public servants who worked so hard this past week to help combat…”

“I would first like to thank all the firefighters and public servants who worked so hard this past week to help combat the devastating wildfires that occurred all over southern California and the Inland Empire. On behalf of myself and the people of the 43rd California Congressional District, I say ``thank you.'' In southern California and the Inland Empire, we have witnessed devastation like we have never seen before. Homes were destroyed, properties were damaged, lives were lost. More than 740,000 acres were burned. Nearly 3,600 homes were lost and 20 people lost their lives. At one point, nearly 16,000 firefighters were battling the blazes at the peak of devastation. When the highway patrol and I toured the fires in my district 1 rac{1}{2} weeks ago, we went into the ruins where residents had been evacuated. We saw the devastation of the homes and felt an overwhelming heat and breathed in the thick smoke of the fire. It was hard for us to be there simply for a few hours, but our firefighters did this for weeks, round the clock, with very little rest. They battled the blazes, inhaled the fumes, while the entire time reaching out to the communities. When I was there with the firefighters, we would come out of the fires and people would instantly stop us. They would beg us to check if their homes were still standing. And do my colleagues know what the highway patrol and I did? We charged back to where the flames were to see if the homes were still there.”