A group of U.S. firefighters received a grateful welcome from Australians at the Sydney airport this week, as they arrived to assist with the historic fires plaguing the country.
Shane Fitzsimmons, the commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service posted a clip Thursday of the firefighter’s arrival. In the post, the people in the airport are applauding the firefighters, which Fitzsimmons says reflects the gratitude and admiration they have for those helping.
The Los Angeles Times reported that this is the first time since 2010 that the U.S. government has sent firefighters to Australia. The fire has already burned 12.35 million acres of land and killed at least 26 people.
As of early January, about 100 firefighters had already been sent, the Times reported. Canada is also preparing to send firefighters, for the first time in the country’s history.
These crews are heading to help out Australia’s firefighters, including the largest volunteer firefighter organization in the world, Fitzsimmons’ New South Wales Rural Fire Service. The AP reports the NSWRFS consists of 72,000 people from across the state.
The group has been fighting the historic fires since September, the AP reported. Three volunteer firefighters are among the fires’ victims.
The United States firefighters deployed to Australia included firefighters from Oregon, California, and other western states that have battled their own wildfires in recent months, the Times reported.
Back in August 2018, Australia sent their own firefighters to the United States to help with wildfires that ravaged the west coast, the Times reported.
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