Houston-area volunteer firefighters in Florida to provide aid

HOUSTON - Gilberto Ortega, a volunteer firefighter with the Community Volunteer Fire Department that services parts of Fort Bend and Harris County, has arrived in Florida with some assistance to provide aid to victims of Hurricane Milton.

He knew he had to help when he saw the devastation the storm caused the state.

PREVIOUS STORY: Texas firefighters rally to aid hurricane-ravaged Florida

"Not only as a firefighter, but as a human being. I couldn’t just stand back and see this destruction go on," said Gilberto Ortega. "Just decided to kind of get my family and friends on Facebook and said, 'Hey, can anyone offer help, and then it turned into this."

He and two other firefighters with the Community Volunteer Fire Department left on Sunday and arrived on Monday at 11:30 a.m. They took water, clothes, non-perishable food items, hygiene products, and more in a trailer that was donated to them.

Get news, weather and so much more on the new FOX LOCAL app

"Water right, one of the biggest necessities is water, shelter, and food," Ortega said. They also took chainsaws to help get through debris along with other tool such as axes, shovels, and more.

If you would like to make a monetary donation, click here.