USFS fire crews from Tahoe, Truckee deployed to Arizona

A slower than normal start to the wildfire season in California has allowed about 1,200 firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service to assist with blazes in the Southwest, including the historic Wallow Fire, which has now burned more than 389,000 acres in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico.

Among the resources that have been deployed are 27 hotshot crews, eight Type 2 Initial Attack Crews, 60 fire engines, 17 smokejumpers, 12 bulldozers, 11 water tenders and more than 150 personnel in various fire support positions. Nine contract crews and 4 additional contract engines bring the total number of personnel from California to an estimated 1,400. Fire crews from California are assigned to more than a dozen blazes in the Southwest.

California has experienced a modest amount of fire activity thus far, mostly at lower elevations where seasonal grasses are almost fully cured. As vegetation continues to dry out and temperatures increase throughout the summer, fire activity is expected to increase. Runoff from heavy snowpack in the Sierra and other mountain ranges also continues to influence fire conditions.

U.S. Forest Service firefighters that have taken assignments in the Southwest in 2011 are from such California communities as South Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Placerville, Yreka, Alturas, Hayfork, Redding, Susanville, Lakeport, Willows, Camptonville, Foresthill, Nevada City, Sonora, King City, Fresno, Porterville, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Mammoth Lakes, Bishop, Lake Isabella, Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita, Sylmar, Glendora, Lytle Creek, Lake Arrowhead, Idyllwild, Corona, Lake Elsinore, Ramona, Rancho Bernardo and El Cajon.