US Army Sends Helicopter Teams To Help Fight California Wildfires

With wildfires raging across parts of California, two Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters with water buckets and 13 personnel from the Arizona National Guard have deployed to Mather Field to support the state's firefighting efforts.

The move has been prompted by a surge in wildfire activity, with 21 separate blazes burning across various regions of the state. The largest, the Park Fire near the city of Chico, has spread to cover an area more than 625 square miles in size, as per CBS news today (Tuesday, August 6).

“Because we are the primary combat reserve of the US Armed Forces, the National Guard has the resources to coordinate swift responses to local disasters,” said Maj. Gen. Kerry Muehlenbeck, the Adjutant General of Arizona. “When our states and territories call upon each other in times of need, we do not hesitate to unite our resources to support our communities.”

Read more about this deployment on the US Army website