US wildfire officials see increasing demand for firefighters

| June 22, 2021 12:05 PM

By KEITH RIDLER

Associated Press

BOISE — U.S. wildfire officials expecting increased fire activity and more demand for firefighters and equipment raised the national preparedness to level 4 on Tuesday, unusual for June.

The National Interagency Fire Center said it’s the second earliest it reached what it calls preparedness level 4 on the 1-5 scale since 1990. It’s also only the fourth time in the last 20 years to reach that level in June.

Officials said more than 8,700 wildland firefighters are currently battling 47 large wildfires that have consumed more than 800 square miles. Arizona had 14 of those fires, followed by California with seven.

Officials said that so far this year there have been more than 29,000 wildfires, about 4,000 more than the 10-year average.

Most wildfires are quickly put out by firefighters stationed in the area before they grow to a large size and require firefighters from other states.

Wildfire officials say much of the U.S. West is in a drought with a challenging wildfire season ahead.