Up to 200 firefighters from Australia and New Zealand will fly to the United States this week to help battle the wildfires burning along the nation's west coast.
The fires have already killed six people, destroyed 500 homes and burnt more than 375,000 hectares.
The team of 188 fire specialists, including safety officers and helicopter pilots, will fly to California, Oregon and Washington on the US west coast on Friday.
Rob Rogers, Deputy Commissioner of New South Wales Rural Fire Service, told SBS News that Australia was keen to support its US colleagues, two of whom have died on the front line.
"When you see the community impacted like that by fire, it's really difficult for firefighters, because firefighters want to help people,” he said.
“You just want to try and minimise harm to people and obviously try and save their property. That is just a thing that is built into them."
A firefighter pauses while battling fires near Redding, California. Source: Getty
The Australian contingent reportedly includes 60 NSW firefighters and 12 from Queensland. Victoria and South Australia are yet to decide how many personnel they will send.
This is not the first time Australian firefighters have been deployed overseas. More than 100 Australians went to Canada to help contain fires in the province of British Colombia last year.
Commissioner Rogers said Australian firefighters are in a unique position to help their US colleagues, because they know all too well the devastation bushfires can cause.
"People from Australia are well versed in working with the US. We use the same incident management system,” he said.
“We've practised this many times over the last 18 years. This will be another continuation of our close working relationship."
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Minister Craig Crawford and Victoria's Emergency Services Minister James Merlino have thanked those heading overseas.
Fire retardant is dropped onto a fire burning near Lakeport, California, as thousands are evacuated. Source: AAP
While the trans-Tasman contingent will be stationed all across the US west coast, it is down south in California where the most damage has been caused.
The Carr fire burning in Redding, a city of 90,000 people some 260 kilometres north of the state capital Sacramento, doubled in size over the weekend.
Firefighters were bracing for worsening conditions, but calmer winds are offering a chance to make gains. Some residents have begun returning home, but officials are warning residents to remain vigilant. Authorities are still searching for people reported missing.
Federal US data shows wildfires have scorched 1.8 million hectares so far this year, 24 per cent more than the average tallied for the same-seven-month period over the past 10 years.
Additional reporting: AAP.
