WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Oregon fire trucks were turned away from LA wildfires because they did not meet emissions standards.
OUR VERDICT
False. Fire trucks sent by Oregon were not turned away and no interstate fire vehicles were tested for emissions compliance.
AAP FACTCHECK - Fire trucks sent by Oregon to fight the Los Angeles wildfires were not turned away for failing to meet California's emissions standards.
Californian and Oregon fire officials have confirmed that no emissions tests were conducted on any fire trucks, and none were turned away for that reason.
Deadly blazes around LA had killed at least 27 people and charred thousands of homes as of January 22.
The false claim appears in Facebook posts featuring an image of three fire trucks parked in a row, with captions suggesting California's emissions rules prevented them from joining the disaster response.
"Stupidity at its best .. One of our north American followers sent us this .. This with fires burning out of control and close to 10 000 homes burnt. Ideology over results. 60 fire trucks from Oregon to help fight the LA fires are bottled up in Sacramento because they didn't have California smog certificates," the caption said.
A reverse image search of the photo showed that it was originally posted on X by the Eastside Fire and Rescue based in Washington state.
"Update from our EF&R strike team leader - crews are going through inspection in Davis, California. They have been assigned to the #PalisadeFire which is currently 6% contained. Safe travels to our team!" the original caption said.
California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) confirmed in a Facebook post that interstate firefighting vehicles were tested for safety, not emissions.
"Recognizing that these heavy-duty vehicles endure extensive travel, sometimes arriving with worn or out-of-specification components, we are committed to ensuring their safety before deployment to the front lines," it said in the post.