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HAYFORK, Calif. (8/6/2015) A crew of 20 under the direction of the Delaware Forest Service is helping to battle wildfires in California, authorities said today.
The Delaware crew is among more than 1,100 firefighters battling the Fork Complex, a group of fires over 11,000 acres caused by lightning near Hayfork, California.
California officials declared a state of emergency late last week as the wildfires burned more than 190,000 acres.
Delaware’s crew has been working the past two days on the 706-acre Peak Fire on Plummer Peak.
The Delaware team is protecting homes and outbuildings as well as establishing and patrolling control lines.
Kyle Hoyd, the Delaware Forest Service’s assistant forestry administrator, reported that “everyone is doing well” but the “fire is in steep terrain with multiple hazards.”
The U.S. Forest Service reported significant progress in fighting the fire, but warm and dry conditions are expected to continue in the area through the end of the week.
The Delaware Forest Service also dispatched James Dowd from Blackbird State Forest to work as an equipment manager on the Mad River Complex, along with Michael Nelson of Pennsylvania, who is assigned to the Reynolds Fire in Montana.