Redding, CA November 17, 2016 – Nearly 500 fire personnel from California have been mobilized by the U.S. Forest Service to assist with wildfires in several states in the Southeast. On Saturday, November 12, 2016 five 20-person contract crews hosted by the Shasta-Trinity and Plumas National Forests departed Redding, Calif. bound for fires in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
The crews are joining five 20-person crews, twelve 10-person crews, 5 helicopters, 4 fire engines, 2 bulldozers and over 200 overhead personnel, mobilized through the California Interagency Coordination Centers located in Redding and Riverside.
The crews and overhead are comprised of U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Kern County, Orange County, Los Angeles County and other partner agency personnel from throughout California.
The mobilization is the largest since hurricane Sandy recovery efforts in 2012.
The Southeast U.S. is currently experiencing a longer and later than-normal fire season. Wildfires are burning in multiple states throughout the Southeast, driven by drought conditions. For updates on individual fires, visit inciweb.nwcg.gov.