ARLINGTON, Va. – As of Monday morning, nearly 85 National Guard members were involved in firefighting operations in Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming, according to figures from the National Guard Bureau. California Guard members were mobilizing to assist civilian fire authorities following the governor's declaration of emergency so no Soldier tally was available.
The Colorado National Guard was responding to a request from civil authorities in Moffett County with aviation assets to fight the Peekaboo Fire approximately 50 miles west of Craig, Colorado.
California Gov. Jerry Brown declared an emergency Sunday for Butte County due to a 5,600-acre wildfire burning in the region.
According to the state of emergency proclamation, the fire threatens critical infrastructure and has forced the closure of major highways and roads.
In the Peekaboo Fire, the Colorado Army National Guard will support aerial firefighting operations with two UH-60 Black Hawks with crews and aerial water buckets, to be employed at the discretion of the incident commander.
Each of the aerial water buckets are able to deliver up to 500 gallons of water, or fire retardant slurry, at one time. The COARNG will also provide fuel trucks for a forward aerial refueling point at the Peekaboo Fire helicopter base.
The Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center has requested two CH-47 Chinook helicopters to serve as standby aerial firefighting assets staged at Buckley Air Force Base. At the discretion of the RMACC, the aircraft will be available to support any of the fires across Colorado.
The CONG continues to assist civil authorities with aerial casualty evacuation capabilities to ensure fire fighter safety for the Peak 2 Fire in Summit County, near Breckenridge, with one UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter equipped with a hoist and available for immediate employment.
"The protection of our neighbors and response workers is our top priority," said the director of Joint Staff, Col. Gregory White, who commands the military response to domestic operations in Colorado. "Our military training is being put to good use throughout the state. We're proud to support the professionals at all levels of the response effort."
Contributing: Colorado National Guard