New Jersey Sending Crews to Fight Western Wildfires
New Jersey is sending personnel and trucks west to help battle wildfires there.
Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said Friday the New Jersey Forest Fire Service is sending 32 firefighters along with three trucks to fight blazes in Montana, Idaho and Oregon as part of an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service.
Martin says 20 state employees are set to fly out Saturday and three engines are leaving Friday.
The personnel assignments are expected to last two weeks. The trucks will remain as long as needed.
The state DEP says wildfires across the country have burned 5.5 million acres through July.
Officials say the U.S. Forest Service will reimburse the state for the costs associated with deployment.