Delaware firefighters in California

Courtesy Delaware Forest Service

SMYRNA, Del. - The Delaware Forest Service has sent a three-person wildland fire engine crew from Blackbird State Forest to Wawona, California to protect against fires in Yosemite National Park. 

The Forest Service says that they will be joining with the Yosemite National Park Emergency Communication Center and other crews from across the country working on patrolling and isolating new fires. They say the predicted fire danger for that area is extreme/high for the next week. There is already an 841-acre fire burning in the park.

According to the service, the trio's assignment will be physically demanding, requiring their combined 45 years of experience in both logistical and operational roles to isolate new fires so they do not grow in to larger ones. They say the new fires tend to start either due to human activity or due to lighting strikes. 

The assignment began July 31, with crews set to swap out in two weeks.