Western wildfires: US firefighters call on Australia, New Zealand for relief
With wildfires ravaging the western United States and overwhelming firefighters, fire officials are calling on colleagues from the other side of the globe for relief.
On Thursday, officials from The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, announced that they have enlisted the help of聽70 fire managers and specialists from Australia and New Zealand to battle the unrelenting blazes.聽The international recruits are expected to arrive in Idaho on Sunday.
鈥淲e currently remain at National Preparedness Level 5, our resources are fully committed and there are no season-ending weather events in the foreseeable forecast,鈥� National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group chair Aitor Bidaburu said in a聽. 鈥淏ecause of the current level of commitment and forecast, having fire management expertise from Australia and New Zealand firefighters will be of tremendous help as we continue suppressing ongoing fires.鈥�
The exceptional drought affecting large swathes of the country's western states has helped fuel an intense spate of wildfires in California, Oregon, and Washington.聽Almost 29,000 firefighters are battling some 100 large blazes across the West, and the firefighting efforts have cut into state and federal budgets.
鈥淭he fires, and the resources pouring into them, are renewing attention on government funding to fighting and preventing wildfires 鈥� an issue that has seen heated debate in the last few years amid federal budget cuts and rising costs,鈥� 海角大神 reported in early August.
鈥淟ast year, the government spent $1.5 billion to fight more than 63,000 wildfires across the country,聽. The , which works under the authority of the Department of Agriculture, is better equipped to deal with fires this year than previously 鈥� the service hired nearly聽聽for California alone.鈥�
Despite the additional resources, US firefighters have been stretched thin, often moving to a new blaze immediately after extinguishing another.
The United States has a long-standing history of cooperation with both Australia and New Zealand. The United States sent 67 of its firefighters to Australia in 2007 and 73 in 2009, The
This report contains material from the Associated Press.
