As wildfires in the American West continue to claim acre after acre of wilderness and rack up millions of dollars in damage to private property, Illinois firefighters have been tapped in efforts to bring the ongoing disaster under control.
Scott Crist, the Fire Management Officer for the Shawnee National Forest, recently spoke with WSIL from Arizona about the involvement of firefighters from across the country in fighting the blazes currently consuming the West Soast. He said fire fighting resources are often moved around the nation to respond to the worst problems as needed.
Shawnee National Forest personnel have worked on fires in California, Washington, Montana, Colorado and Nevada.
“Every year they’ll bring in what they need, and that might be a fire truck or a crew or it may just be an individual to help with coordination or planning or something,” Crist said. “We’ll be continuing to support Western states and western forces with engines, crews, and personnel probably for the next month or so.”
Even as Crist and other personnel fight the wildfires out west, he offered a reminder that there are annually around 20 fires in the Shawnee National Forest, as well as the many additional fires in Southern Illinois dealt with each year by local departments.
“Nationwide, 90% of our fires are started by humans. So lightning accounts for many of the big fires. But not all of them,” Crist said. “And in Southern Illinois, lightning accounts for something like 1%. So all of those wildfires are preventable.”
Illinois residents who are considering burning or starting a small fire during the dry fall months are encouraged to check with their local fire department about conditions and recommendations first.
