Little Rock, Arkansas – Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has given the go-ahead for a group of ten wildland firefighters from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division to assist the State of Mississippi in their continuous efforts to put out wildfires.
According to a news release, the Mississippi Forestry Commission has responded to more than 760 fires totaling over 14,163 acres of fire since August 1.
The crew’s primary duty during their two-week stay in Mississippi, which begins on Tuesday, will be to respond to and put out fresh fires in the state’s southern region.
Employees of the Forestry Division are deploying in response to a prolonged drought in Mississippi as part of the South Central Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact. According to the ADAFD, the compact permits participating state forestry agencies to move employees and resources across state lines in order to put out wildfires.
In addition, five dozers from the Forestry Division will be sent to help with the wildfire response.
Prior to this, Sanders gave the go-ahead for the Forestry Division to dispatch companies of wildland firefighters to the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in Oregon from August 7 to 27, as well as the Tiger Island Fire in Louisiana from September 8 to 23.