A group of Kentucky firefighters has arrived in California to help battle the aggressive wildfires that threaten to break fire season records.
The latest contingent from Kentucky consists of two full-time Division of Forestry employees and six seasonal firefighters. Three additional agency employees are currently stationed in northeast Washington.
KDF director Leah MacSwords says, while the assignment is for volunteers only, requests for aid have been on the rise in recent years.
"It's becoming more and more regular especially as we have seen an increase in the number of wildfires, most especially in the Western states," she says.
But the Kentucky crew could be called home before the West Coast fires hit their peak for the season. Experts expect conditions to worsen into late August and September as the states grapple with continuing high temperatures and drought.
MacSwords says the plan is to bring the volunteers home by September 1, to prepare for Kentucky’s fire season, which begins Oct. 1.
