DoD response to wildfires ongoing

Firefighters and guardsmen from the Army and Air National Guard continue to battle the wildfires in Montana, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, and Utah. As of September there are 123 active fires burning approximately 2 million acres of land.

This year’s fire season has be long and unforgiving. Jessica Gardetto, a representative of the National Interagency Fire Center, spoke about this rough season, saying “Typically by the third week of September we see not as much fire activity, but we just haven’t had that relief.”

According to another representative of the National Interagency Fire Center, the fires haven’t stopped since fall 2016, leaving responders stretched thin. Chis Wilcox recently stated in an interview that “all of our national wildland firefighting assets are committed.” Wilcox went on to talk about working with state and local partners, including the National Guard.

The National Interagency Fire Center coordinates wildland firefighting efforts across the country.

For more information about the wildfire response, please follow the links below.
Oregon National Guardsmen Help Battle Wildfires, Department of Defense
Wildfires continue to wreak havoc across the West, Los Angeles Times
Surveying The Wildfires Burning Across The Western U.S., NPR
Wildfire Smoke Clearing in US West as Storms Move Through, Associated Press