Local Red Cross volunteers helping Northern California fire victims

PHOENIX (KSAZ) -- Fire crews may be making progress on the wildfires in California, but the recovery from the devastation could take months.

That's a task some Phoenix Red Cross volunteers are doing her best to help out.

Bonnie Edelblute will be spending Thanksgiving in California. The mental health expert is headed for Butte County, an area devastated by the Camp Fire. Edelblute and several other Red Cross volunteers took off from Phoenix Sky Harbor airport on Wednesday.

The deadly Camp Fire has scorched more than 150,000, and essentially burned the town of Paradise off the map. In all, 13,000 homes are gone.

"They have to start planning on how they are going to rebuild, how they are going to move elsewhere," said Edelblute.

People with no place to go need all the help they can get, and volunteers like Edelblute are key, especially when it comes to mental health.

In addition, APS is also sending support to Paradise, with a mission to help restore power. The first wave of relief teams will leave on Saturday, and a second group will deploy on November 30.