by Tokana Hasavi Jr – EM TV World News
Firefighters from Australia and New Zealand arrived in the United States yesterday, on a mission to help battle wildfires that have plagued the country’s northwest.
Dozens of wildfires, including the largest on record in Washington State, continue to roar.
Last week, President Barrack Obama, signed a declaration of emergency for Washington, authorising relief effort contributions from 11 countries.
The blazes are being fought by over 30,000 firefighters covering 4,000 hectares of land at a cost of $115 million.
At least 70 large wildfires or clusters of fires have raged through several bone-dry Western states, the bulk of them in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California and Montana, the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise reported.
With manpower and other s stretched thin, fire managers have turned to the U.S. military and even personnel from Canada, Australia and New Zealand to furnish reinforcements.
So far this year, U.S. wildland blazes have claimed the lives of at least 13 firefighters, four more than that which died in the line of duty during all of 2014, the fire centre said.
The Aussie and Kiwi firefighters will receive special training on operating on U.S. terrain before heading out to battle the blazes.
