--- description: Around 100 firefighters from Australia and New Zealand were flown to the U.S. on Friday, to assist battling wildfires in the U.S. northwest. title: Australian Firefighters Help Battle California Wildfires image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb51439290f890b1e/698936fb8fd2eef08335c4c2/gettyimages-1008697014.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Australia](/tag/australia/) ## Australia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Firefighters From Australia and New Zealand Are Coming to Help Battle California's Wildfires ## Video: 'It Felt Like We Were On a Different Planet.' A Rare, 'Apocalyptic' Fire Tornado Developed During A Devastating California Wildfire [Watch (HLS stream): 'It Felt Like We Were On a Different Planet.' A Rare, 'Apocalyptic' Fire Tornado Developed During A Devastating California Wildfire](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/wU3erxTb.m3u8) (0:38)  _Published 2018-08-01. A fire tornado, for lack of a better term, had just ripped through this area of Northern California about a mile and a half away from downtown Redding, a city with a population of more than 91,800._  by [Billy Perrigo](/author/billy-perrigo/)  ## Billy Perrigo Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Aug 3, 2018 12:23 PM CUT  JULY 31 - A firefighter tries to control a back burn as the Carr fire continues to spread towards the towns of Douglas City and Lewiston near Redding, California JULY 31 - A firefighter tries to control a back burn as the Carr fire continues to spread towards the towns of Douglas City and Lewiston near Redding, CaliforniaMARK RALSTON—AFP/Getty Images  by [Billy Perrigo](/author/billy-perrigo/)  ## Billy Perrigo Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Aug 3, 2018 12:23 PM CUT About 100 firefighters from Australia and New Zealand are traveling to the U.S. on Friday to assist exhausted crews [battling wildfires](http://time.com/longform/california-carr-fire-photos/ "undefined") in the U.S. northwest. Fires are currently burning across 1.4 million acres in 13 states, driven by windy conditions and a dry, hot summer. The biggest is the [Carr Fire](http://time.com/5352624/carr-fire-redding-california/ "undefined") in Northern California, which has killed six people, including two firefighters, and prompted the evacuation of 37,000 from their homes. “We are very appreciative of the Australian and New Zealand firefighters for their availability to assist us with our current fire situation,” said Dan Smith, the chair of the U.S.’s National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group. “Because of the current level of commitment and forecast, having fire management expertise from Australian and New Zealand with specialized experienced firefighters will be of tremendous help as we continue suppressing ongoing fires.” Firefighters were last mobilized from Australia and New Zealand in 2015, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, where the firefighters will be briefed before being sent to battle wildfires. The last time U.S. fire personnel traveled to Australia was in 2010. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5357188/australia-firefighters-california-wildfires/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5357188/australia-firefighters-california-wildfires/"},"headline":"Firefighters From Australia and New Zealand Are Coming to Help Battle California's Wildfires","datePublished":"2018-08-03T12:23:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T21:03:07.888Z","description":"Fires are currently burning across 1.4 million acres in 13 states","url":"https://time.com/5357188/australia-firefighters-california-wildfires/","keywords":["Australia","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb51439290f890b1e/698936fb8fd2eef08335c4c2/gettyimages-1008697014.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Billy Perrigo","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/billy-perrigo/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb51439290f890b1e/698936fb8fd2eef08335c4c2/gettyimages-1008697014.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US-CALIFORNIA-FIRE","caption":"US-CALIFORNIA-FIRE","creditText":"MARK RALSTON—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/australia/","name":"Australia"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5357188/australia-firefighters-california-wildfires/","name":"Firefighters From Australia and New Zealand Are Coming to Help Battle California's Wildfires"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"'It Felt Like We Were On a Different Planet.' 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