Australia and New Zealand send over 240 firefighters to help battle U.S. wildfires

+ wildfires August 19, 20264:46 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition By Murphy Woodhouse Australia and New Zealand send over 240 firefighters to help battle U.S.

+ wildfires Listen &middot; 3:20 3:20 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5931946/nx-s1-9892612" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript A destructive wildfire season is pushing American firefighting resources to their limits.

+ Sponsor Message Transcript SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST: A destructive wildfire season is pushing U.S. firefighters to their limits. On Monday alone, the National Interagency Fire Center counted 147 new fires across the country. More than 29,000 personnel have been assigned to fight them. U.S. fire officials are desperate for support, so they're turning to other countries for help, and Australia and New Zealand have stepped up. The Mountain West News Bureau's Murphy Woodhouse reports.

+ MURPHY WOODHOUSE, BYLINE: More than 240 firefighters from Australia and New Zealand are outside on the campus of the National Interagency Fire Center and Boise, Idaho's airport. The center helps coordinate wildfire response across the country. UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER #1: No. 16 right here. WOODHOUSE: Firefighters are getting the radios they'll be using out on the fire line. UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER #1: Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Thank you. WOODHOUSE: They're all experienced firefighters, but steering wheels, for example, are on the opposite side over here. Differences like that make this training essential. This group joins a smaller contingent of Australians and New Zealanders who arrived earlier this month. Now more than 300 are fighting large blazes across the West. SAM QUIGLEY: It is absolutely the largest contingent Australia and New Zealand have provided to the U.S. at any one time. WOODHOUSE: Sam Quigley is the international liaison for the mobilization. The countries have a two-decade history of sharing firefighters back and forth. QUIGLEY: We're in the dormant stage of our winter, and we have the skill and resources. So only too willing to provide our friends with the resources right now in a time of need. WOODHOUSE: The need is great. The U.S. has been at the highest level of fire preparedness since mid-July. So far, more than 7 million acres have burned, the highest figure in at least a decade. Whole neighborhoods have been incinerated. More than a dozen firefighters have been killed. Quigley says the crews take fire line safety seriously. QUIGLEY: Today and tomorrow is predominantly focused on just that, making sure that our crews are the safest and most proficient in operating all safety systems. WOODHOUSE: That includes learning how to deploy fire shelters. Those are bivouac-like sacks that can give firefighters a chance to survive when overtaken by flames. Quigley says they aren't common back home. So the firefighters practice with neon green and orange shelters. UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER #2: Right. So far so good. WOODHOUSE: The goal is to scramble under the shelters in less than 30 seconds. UNIDENTIFIED INSTRUCTOR: Yeah. And then you could feel... UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER #2: Right. UNIDENTIFIED INSTRUCTOR: ...If the wind was whipping around. You've got a nice grip on those inner handles. UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER #2: Yeah. UNIDENTIFIED INSTRUCTOR: Yeah. Well done. UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER #2: Yeah. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: It's just that big one is when you first step in, just don't twist your legs around. You're getting your legs crossed over... UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER #2: Yeah. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: ...Trying to get in. UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER #2: Crossed over. Yeah. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: You've got to keep them spread until you're in there. WOODHOUSE: It's a desperate measure that no firefighter wants to resort to, but these shelters do save lives. Jessica Gardetto is with the National Interagency Fire Center. She says big fires could be burning for weeks to come, and especially in the northwest where many of the firefighters are being sent. JESSICA GARDETTO: This year likely feels different to a lot of folks, especially those whose homes have been threatened by some of these large wildfires. WOODHOUSE: Low snowpack, drought and hot weather fueled this intense season. But once it calms down, Quigley, the international liaison, says the U.S. may well get a chance to return the favor. QUIGLEY: I have no doubt we'll be calling upon our friends for our season ahead. WOODHOUSE: Australia's summer starts in December, and it's likely to be hot and dry. That's a recipe for big fires. For NPR News, I'm Murphy Woodhouse. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. 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