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Military to support August Complex operations
The soldiers are due to arrive early this week from the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, I Corps, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
The soldiers will be deployed on the August Complex on the Mendocino National Forest after conducting additional ground training and fireline certification.
The August Complex started on August 17, 2020, from 37 different lightning fires. Many of those fires have been contained or have merged to form larger fires. As of Monday night, the Complex was 236,288 acres and 20-percent contained.
“This support will provide additional capacity to ensure firefighting resources are available to respond to ongoing and emerging wildfires in California,” said Randy Moore, regional forester for the Pacific Southwest Region. “I thank the U.S. military for their continued support with these soldiers, as well as C-130 aircraft, equipped with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems units. Their assistance with wildfire suppression efforts for California’s wildfires is greatly appreciated.”
This is the first active-duty military mobilization for wildfire support in California since the Mendocino Complex Fire in 2018.
U.S. Army North, U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Force Land Component Command (JFLCC) will oversee the operations, providing personnel and command and staff support.
“For more than four decades, the Department of Defense has maintained an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of the Interior to provide firefighting support to wildland fire management agencies when requested,” said Lt. Gen. Laura J. Richardson, U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) and JFLCC commander. “During that time, federal military ground forces have mobilized 37 times to support wildland firefighting response efforts, and it is an honor to oversee such a mobilization again in support of our partners and America.”
There are 38 large wildfires currently burning in California, with more than 1.5 million acres burned so far this year.
August Complex incident information is posted on InciWeb.