National Guard Troops Join California Wildfire Fight

The fire was reported at 3 p.m. Monday in the 500 block of Indian School Lane, near San Gorgonio Avenue, Cal Fire Riverside spokeswoman Jody Hagemann said.

Another 440 soldiers and airmen from the California National Guard have also been mobilised.

A new fire started on Tuesday morning about 6 miles northeast of Shelter Cove in the King Range National Conservation Area of southwest Humboldt County.

The US military is sending hundreds of troops to help tackle wildfires raging across parched California, authorities said, while also warning of the growing risk posed by drone pilots flying over affected areas.

The Boise, Idaho-based NIFC is the nation’s support center for wildland firefighting.

Updating the press on Defense Department and National Guard efforts in California, Davis said, “We have four Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems or MAFFS staged at McClellan Air Tanker Base, right outside of Sacramento”.

“It’s hard to describe”, said Millsboro firefighter Scott Veasey. The first one, which was contained Friday after more than two weeks, destroyed 43 homes. While there may be “a long way to go”, Thompson said that feedback from the firefighters on the ground has been positive, and “in the air our planes and crews are doing great in the fight to save homes and property”.

Winds in many parts of Northern California will continue at lighter speeds early in the week with very low humidity.

See information on all the current wildfires here, via CalFire.

Federal officials say the U.S. Forest Service’s budget will eventually be overwhelmed by increased firefighting costs, diverting the agency from fire-prevention work, unless Congress makes a fix.