Active soldiers dispatched to fight Western wildfires
Around 200 active duty military personnel have been called out to fight numerous wildfires that have set seven Western states in a ruckus.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in a statement released on Monday, this is the first time in 14 years that soldiers were dispatched to battle wildfires. This also means that the wildfires have become too huge for firefighters alone to handle.
The NIFC reported earlier that a recorded 95 fires have taken down hundreds of homes, pushed more than 1,000 people out of their homes, and burned an estimated 1.1 million acres in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, Nevada, and Colorado.
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Spokesman for the NIFC Ken Frederick said that the soldiers are tasked to put down "quiet parts of the fire," adding that their duty is "important because it frees up our more experienced crews to handle more complex dangerous fire situations. So they (soldiers) could be mopping up, watching for, and waiting to put out spot fires and digging fire line."
Coming from the 17th Field Artillery Brigade, 7th Infantry Division, and the Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, the soldiers will help firefighters from all over the country to put down the fires.
The NIFC said the country has been using active duty soldiers to fight wildfires 35 times already since 1987.
Aitor Bidaburu, chairman of the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group said, "The U.S. military has been a key partner in wildland firefighting for decades, and we greatly appreciate their willingness to provide us with soldiers to serve as firefighters."
Reports say the fire alert level reached its peaks — the last recorded highest level was way back in August 20, 2013.
According to CNN, California has raised the red flag warning in some areas, as a result of the four-year drought that the state has suffered from.
Idaho has reported that the Soda Fire has grazed more than 150,000 acres in Owyhee County, as 860 people worked together to put the fire under control.
Meanwhile, Oregon's Canyon Creek Complex Fire burned more than 40,000 acres in eastern Oregon, while 50 homes have been destroyed in Washington.
