MAUI, Hawaii — Three members of Ohio Task Force 1 and their K-9 partners landed in Maui, Hawaii following the devastating wildfires.
Earlier this week, the team deployed three handlers and three dogs, all trained and certified to detect and alert for dead bodies.
The OHTF1 members and their K-9 partners arrived in Maui just after 1 a.m. EST Thursday morning (7 p.m. in Hawaii). They flew from Dayton to Chicago to San Francisco. On the flight from Chicago to San Francisco, other passengers on the plane gave the members and their dogs a round of applause as they got off the plane before hopping on another plane to Maui.
The OHTF1 members and their K-9s are:
- Heather Fergusson and Melvin from Marengo, Ohio
- Nick Fathergill and Sunny, from Beavercreek, Ohio
- Kim Veldheer and Major, from Rivne's Junction, Michigan
The team was given sleeping arrangements and work assignments for Thursday, but interviews in the field have not been possible just yet.
Their deployment to Maui comes after wildfires tore through the island last week, leaving more than 100 people dead.
Ohio Task Force 1 is one of the nation's 28 Urban Search & Rescue teams and is based in Dayton.