The Dominion Post

WELLINGTON, New Zealand —Ten rural firefighters are being sent to the United States to help battle wildfires in California.

Rural fire authority manager Gary Lockyer is already working at the National Interagency Fire Centre in Boise, Idaho.

National rural fire officer Murray Dudfield said the other Kiwis would be deployed as part of a 44-strong combined Anzac contingent.

Wildfires have so far burnt 275,000 hectares of forest and grasslands in California. Nearly 19,000 firefighters are battling 323 fires threatening more than 15,000 homes.

Mr Dudfield said nine firefighters from throughout New Zealand were to leave Auckland for the US on Sunday for a 35-day deployment to Northern California. Their job would be to manage fire crews and call in firefighting aircraft. Their expenses and wages would be paid by US authorities.

Mr Dudfield said more Kiwi firefighters could be sent to the US in a few weeks.

New Zealand sent 29 firefighters to the US in 2006. Eleven suffered burns and smoke inhalation when they were caught in a flashover.

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