No, California didn't block fire trucks from Oregon over emissions rules | Fact check
The claim: California blocked 60 Oregon fire trucks from entering state over emissions
A Jan. 11 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims California prevented some out-of-state fire engines from coming into the state to help fight its deadly wildfires.
“Oregon sent 60 fire trucks to CA. CA won't let them into the state because California is unsure of EMISSIONS on the trucks,” the post’s text reads.
The Facebook post was shared more than 1,000 times in two days. Similar versions of the claim also circulated widely on Facebook, on Threads and on Instagram and on X, where it was shared by conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza.
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Our rating: False
The claim is wrong on multiple fronts. No fire engines were prevented from entering California, and none of those vehicles underwent any type of emissions tests, according to Cal Fire and the Oregon State Fire Marshal.
‘No engine was turned away’
Wildfires ravaging the greater Los Angeles area have killed at least 24 people and destroyed thousands of structures. In response, California asked several western states for help, and Oregon initially mobilized 240 firefighters and 60 engines before increasing its contribution to 370 firefighters and 75 engines.
But the post’s claim that California blocked those vehicles from entering is false, according to fire officials from both states. “No engine was turned away,” the Oregon State Fire Marshal said in a Jan. 12 X post.
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A total of 15 strike teams departed Jan. 8 from various locations in Oregon and spent that night in Sacramento, California, according to the X post from the fire marshal. After undergoing a safety check, the post continued, the strike teams each arrived in Southern California on Jan. 9 and began 24-hour shifts fighting the wildfires a day later. Oregon-based media outlets reported on the arrival of the firefighters and their vehicles in Los Angeles.
The post also blames questions about the vehicles' emissions for their purported denial of entry. But that's also wrong because it mischaracterizes the nature of the tests conducted. There were no emissions or smog tests performed on the vehicles, according to a Jan. 11 Facebook post by Cal Fire. Rather, they were tested “to make sure the engines are mechanically sound,” the Oregon fire marshal said on X. That equipment, the post continued, “does not regularly travel hundreds of miles at a time.”
Other versions of the claim mislead by asserting the firefighters were “bottled up” in Sacramento. Instead, those teams arrived in Southern California on schedule Jan. 9 with “no delay in the process or travel,” the Oregon fire marshal said. All repairs performed as a result of the safety checks were completed either on the same day or “early the next day,” Cal Fire said on Facebook.
The video shared by D’Souza and other versions of the claim reference a since-retracted article published by the Santa Monica Observer – which has previously published misinformation. An editor’s note added to the story explains it was based on a now-deleted Jan. 10 X post it screenshotted that contains several elements that appear in various iterations of the claim. Paste BN reached out to the Observer but did not immediately receive a response. The X user, whose profile is private, could not be reached for comment.
Paste BN previously debunked false claims that an image shows the iconic Hollywood Sign surrounded by fire, that another image shows the wildfires were caused by directed energy weapons and that President Joe Biden’s administration blocked firefighting aircraft during his visit.
Paste BN reached out to D’Souza and to several social media users who shared versions of the claim but did not immediately receive any responses.
Factcheck.org and Lead Stories also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources
- Cal Fire, Jan. 11, Facebook post
- Oregon State Fire Marshal, Jan. 12, X post
- KPTV-TV, Jan. 10, 300 Oregonian firefighters arrive to help with LA area fires
- Oregon Public Broadcasting, Jan. 10, Oregon crews arrive in Southern California to aid wildfire response
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