SMYRNA, Del. - A team of 13 wildland firefighters from the Delaware Forest Service has been deployed to help fight a growing wildfire in Arizona.
The crew, trained as a Type 2 Initial Attack unit, departed from Blackbird State Forest in Smyrna early Wednesday, Aug. 13. They are assisting with the Billy Fire in the Tonto National Forest near Young, Arizona. The fire has burned 15,488 acres and is 12 percent contained.
There are currently 36 large active wildfires across the country, burning more than 609,000 acres.
Since 1996, Delaware has trained more than 600 wildland firefighters for out-of-state missions. Crews have previously responded to wildfires in states including California, Alaska, and Colorado.