A destructive wildfire season is pushing American firefighting resources to their limits. Australia and New Zealand have sent their largest contingent ever to help out. A destructive wildfire season is pushing U.S. firefighters to their limits.
On Monday alone, the National Interagency Fire Center counted 147 new fires across the country. More than 29,000 personnel have been assigned to fight them. U.S. fire officials are desperate for support, so they're turning to other countries for help, and Australia and New Zealand have stepped up.
The Mountain West News Bureau's Murphy Woodhouse reports. MURPHY WOODHOUSE, BYLINE: More than 240 firefighters from Australia and New Zealand are outside on the campus of the National Interagency Fire Center and Boise, Idaho's airport. The center helps coordinate wildfire response across the country.
UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER #1: No. 16 right here. WOODHOUSE: Firefighters are getting the radios they'll be using out on the fire line. WOODHOUSE: They're all experienced firefighters, but steering wheels, for example, are on the opposite side over here.
Differences like that make this training essential. This group joins a smaller contingent of Australians and New Zealanders who arrived earlier this month. Now more than 300 are fighting large blazes across the West.
SAM QUIGLEY: It is absolutely the largest contingent Australia and New Zealand have provided to the U.S. at any one time. WOODHOUSE: Sam Quigley is the international liaison for the mobilization. The countries have a two-decade history of sharing firefighters back and forth.
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