In the midst of the devastating bushfires engulfing Australia, more than 100 people from the United States have made the journey to help battle the blaze.
In total, 164 people have either headed to Australia from the United States or are ready and waiting to do so. Of that total, two come from Washington.
Both Washingtonians are already in Australia. One is an Engine Boss helping to manage one of the many fire crews. The other is an Aviation Operations Branch Director who is helping organize air support.
It’s fairly common for firefighters from Australia and New Zealand to make the journey to the Pacific Northwest to help when the US is dealing with a large-scale fire incident. In fact, they’ve come twice in the last five years, according to Dan O’Brien, Center Manager of the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.
Now, Washington firefighters get a chance to help return the favor.
For comparison, during a typical fire season, the US averages between 8 and 10 million burned acres. Right now, Australia has 12 million acres burning across the entire border of the country.
KHQ’s Sydnee Stelle will have more on this story coming up tonight on KHQ.
