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Two N.H. Firefighters Travel Cross-Country To Battle California Blazes

Courtesy NH Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
David Kullgren (L) and Tom Trask (R) are en route to California to battle the Mendocino Complex fire

Two firefighters with the N.H. Division of Forests and Lands are driving a pickup truck on a four-day trip to the other side of the country to fight the Mendocino Complex fire. Made up of two blazes, the Mendocino Complex is the largest wildfire in California’s history.

Their truck is outfitted with gear that allows it to supply a fire with 50 gallons of water per minute. The vehicle is classified as what’s called a Type VI engine.

"Our engine has been out on deployments before: [It's] been to Idaho and down to Tennessee with the Gatlinburg fires,” said New Hampshire Forest Protection Bureau Chief Steven Sherman. “But we've never sent it this far west nor did we think we'd get a call to go all the way to California."

The firefighters are set to arrive in California on Monday and are expected to stay for up to two weeks. “In this case there are evacuations in place, there are a lot of homes that have been destroyed,” Sherman said. “So [this] is one where we just want to help out and the firefighters are aware of how this has affected other people.”

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