About 70 fire managers from Australia and New Zealand have arrived in Boise and are scheduled to receive protective gear Monday before heading out to fight fires burning in the West.
Advertisement
The 69 firefighters lined up to receive clothing and equipment at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.
Fire lines were bolstered overnight but fire officials say they’re concerned due to heavy fuel loads in the area and expected strong winds Thursday afternoon and Friday that could result in extreme fire behavior. This is the first time since 2008 that the U.S. has requested help.
National Rural Fire Officer Kevin O’Connor said the team would be deployed to either Washington, Montana, California or Oregon.
“We don’t have very many crews, and we don’t have very much equipment and we don’t have a lot of aircrafts”, Cole told a Lewiston, Idaho, TV station last week.
“Our firefighters are a mixture of people who have been there before and new people, so it will be challenging for them but we are confident they will be well-enough trained to deal with those challenges”, he added. Fire spokesman Rick Isaacson said Monday the Okanogan Complex was measured overnight at just over 400 square miles, slightly more than the Carlton fires, which also burned in Okanogan County.
The United States is fighting one of the worst fire seasons on record.
The Southern Hemisphere nations have been partners with the U.S. for more than 50 years, able to lend out firefighters because the severest part of their fire seasons occur at opposite times of the year.
Mr Ellis, from Kangaroo Island, said American and Canadian firefighters have travelled to Australia during bushfires in recent years.
Chris Arnol, global liaison for Australia and New Zealand firefighters, said the new arrivals were ready to assist.
Simon Martin, 40, a firefighter from Collie, Australia, agreed.
Advertisement
Geranios reported from Spokane, Washington.
