Wyoming Air National Guard to Fight California Wildfires

Wyoming has joined the battle of wildfires in California. The Wyoming Army National Guard’s G Company, 2nd Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment was activated by Gov. Mark Gordon last Thursday to provide support for firefighting efforts there. One UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and four crew members left today and will be operating from Mather Airport near Sacramento. The helicopter and crew are expected to be in the area until Sept. 25 unless extended by request. The Black Hawk is equipped with a bucket which holds approximately 660 gallons of water to drop on hot spots that are difficult for ground crews to access. Several members of the Teton Interagency Fire team have also traveled to California to participate in the efforts. They are fighting side-by-side with firefighters from Idaho, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Mexico, Canada and Israel.