VIDEO: The Los Angeles County Fire Department is sending a task force to Turkey after a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck on Monday morning, crumbling homes, killing more than 2,600 people and leaving devastation across a wide portion of the country and into northern Syria.
The agency said they are mobilizing California Task Force 2 after a request was made for United States aid by Turkish leaders. The task force will provide immediate relief efforts, firefighters said.
The team will include 81 people, six canine teams and three structural engineers, according to the agency.
Turkish Americans living in Los Angeles told KCAL News Monday that the destruction is vast in Turkey.
"I have almost 50 relatives there," said Yousuf San. "My son showed me five or six miles there and both sides were destroyed. All the buildings."