More than 70 firefighters from New Zealand and Australia arrived at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, on Monday to help battle the fires burning in the Pacific Northwest, .They will join 200 U.S. troops from Washington’s Joint Base Lewis-McChord. It'sthe first time active-duty soldiers have been used to fight wildfires in nine years, according to the .
On Monday, Washington's Okanogan Complex of wildfires became the largest in state history, having consumed more than400 square miles of land, fire spokesman Rick Isaacson told the AP. Peak fire season occurs at opposite times in the U.S. and Australia and New Zealand, and those Southern Hemispherenations have lent out firefighters when necessary for more than 50 years.This is the first time since 2008 that the U.S. has requested help.
The international firefighters areprepared for the conditions in the Pacific Northwest,Warren Heslip, a firefighter from Southland, New Zealand, told the AP.“We're used to tall timber and steep territory.”