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BOISE, ID – The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise is mobilizing active duty infantry and engineer military personnel to serve as firefighters to assist with wildfire suppression efforts.

Currently, more than 80 large wildfires are burning on about 1.4 million acres in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming — with nearly 28,000 firefighters and support personnel working on them, said NIFC spokeswoman Jennifer Jones.

The National Preparedness Level is currently at 5 — the highest level — indicating a high level of wildfire activity and a high level of commitment of wildfire suppression assets (i.e. firefighters, aircraft, and engines) to wildfires. “Weather and fuel conditions are predicted to continue to be conducive to wildfire ignitions and spread in most of the western U.S. through September — and in parts of the Northern Rockies and California through October,” Jones said.

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The National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group at NIFC requested the Department of Defense to provide 200 active duty military personnel to assist with firefighting efforts.

via popularmilitary.com

It's fairly rare, but hardly unheard of, for the Army to deploy active duty infantry battalions in support of firefighting efforts.

I never went, but from what I'm told, it's pretty miserable, backbreaking duty.