TAMPA, Fla. — Their job is complete, but the tireless work to find those in the rubble of the collapsed Surfside condominium building continues.
Members of Florida's Task Force 3 returned home Saturday after assisting in the search and rescue efforts in the days after the collapse. Crews were dispatched last weekend for a week-long mission.
The 72 members included those from Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, Tampa Fire Rescue and St. Petersburg Fire Rescue -- physicians, engineers, K-9s and more.
Friends and family were happy to see everyone return home to Tampa Bay, the agency said in a Facebook message.
For everyone who assisted efforts in Surfside, the work was "mentally and physically taxing,” Lt. Steve Lawrence with St. Petersburg Fire Rescue said in an earlier interview.
RELATED: At Surfside condo collapse site, a ‘mentally and physically taxing’ assignment for Tampa rescuers
The Tampa Bay task force members were among nearly 400 members from eight different Florida Urban Search & Rescue task force teams assisting in Surfside. It is the largest non-hurricane deployment of rescue crews in Florida's history, according to the state.
There are also responders from Mexico and Israel.
RELATED: Surfside rescue effort is the largest non-hurricane deployment in Florida history, state says
As of Saturday evening, 24 people have been confirmed dead since the collapse. There remain 121 people still unaccounted for.
Ahead of potential impacts from Tropical Storm Elsa, officials said work was underway to demolish what's left of the condo building to reduce any risk of it falling upon the debris pile and hurting rescuers.
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