Penny Tedesco, of Maple Shade, NJ, is on her way to Los Angeles as a volunteer.
"It's emotionally draining but incredibly rewarding," said Tedesco.
She'll likely spend the next two weeks working in one of the shelters set up for those who have been forced from their homes by the wildfires.
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"It's heartbreaking," she said. "It's absolutely heartbreaking. I can't imagine what those people are dealing with. What they're living with."
She's deployed to previous disasters, including to North Carolina last year after Hurricane Helene, providing comfort to those who have lost everything.
But this one, she says will be different.
"I've always gone a few weeks after whatever the incident was. I've never gone right at the beginning. So watching the news, I'm nervous but I'm excited," said Tedesco.
Red Cross officials say while Southern California is home to many volunteers, they're likely dealing with their own losses and challenges.
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So workers, like Fred Lehman from Lansdowne, Pa., are flying in.
"A bottle of water goes a long way," said Lehman.
He handles logistics, including supplies from food to medical, to tarps and tents - making sure they get to where they're needed.
"You just focus on trying to help people. That's all we do. You try to focus on that," he said. "I get more out of this than I ever put into it. People are so grateful when their basic needs are met."
In New Jersey, which just came through a record-breaking active forest fire season, fire crews have not been asked to help in California at this point. But they say they are always ready.
Warden David Achey has fought fires in California before and recently came back from a fall deployment there.
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"We just spent some time in Southern California, we don't have the terrain here -- mountainous terrain," said Achey, a supervising forest fire warden for the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
Local Red Cross officials say right now they're just sending manpower, but as days and weeks go on they may also send equipment and vehicles.
They say any monetary donations will go a long way in helping from afar.