LA County search and rescue team returns from Venezuela after deadly earthquakes

A search and rescue team from the Los Angeles County Fire Department is returning to the United States after helping crews locate victims of the twin earthquakes in Venezuela.

The fire department deployed the team shortly after the earthquake struck the South American country on June 24. The team, dubbed USA 2, consisted of 71 personnel, six canine teams and 84,000 pounds of specialized rescue equipment. 

"We're no strangers to earthquakes here in Los Angeles County, and we have to be prepared," Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said nearly two weeks ago. "Having this international search and rescue team and members with this experience is going to help us when we suffer our own earthquakes."

Going into the Fourth of July weekend, the death toll stood at about 2,600, with tens of thousands of people still missing as crews sifted through the rubble nearly two weeks after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 destroyed buildings throughout Venezuela. 

As first reported by the New York Times, the LA County team helped save three children, one as young as 9 years old, from a collapsed building. 

"It's great to be home," firefighter Tai Kang said when he returned home. "The experience was wonderful. I'm glad we were able to travel far and help some people out and do our best, but it's good to be back ... The work was really hard, but it's what we trained for, so it felt easy to do."  

The LA County firefighters were welcomed home by their family and friends when they returned to Pacoima on Monday night. 

"I'm very, very excited to be home," firefighter Kevin Sarehkhani said. "I missed California. I missed my wife and my son. The work was hard. It was very, very strenuous. It was discouraging at times and then very encouraging. I was happy we got to go out there and help out."