In October, while firefighters in Southern California battled Saddleridge, Merager was dispatched to North Carolina, where fires burned thousands of acres of land. Roughly 100 firefighters have traveled to Australia over the last four weeks after a U.S. liaison visited to help determine the scope of U.S. resources. “It works really well because Australia has a different fire season than we do in the United States,” NIFC spokesperson Kari Cobb said. In August 2018, Australia and New Zealand sent roughly 140 firefighters to the United States for nearly 30 days. This is the first time since 2010 that the United States is sending firefighters to Australia.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 06, 2020 21:22 UTC