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Montana firefighters headed to California to battle wildfires

Posted at 12:21 PM, Oct 29, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-29 21:04:24-04

Update 6:56 p.m. Firefighters from Red Lodge and Columbus are also heading to fight California wildfires.

Montana Firefighters from Helena and Whitefish will depart Tuesday to help battle wildfires in California. The teams are headed to Southern California and will be part of a multi-state effort to contain the fires.

According to Helena officials, two Type 6 wildland trucks and six firefighters will be deployed for 18 days.

The Whitefish Fire Department will be sending three firefighters and the wildland fire truck to help battle the wildfires as well.

A news release from the City of Helena says the request was approved by the Governor and facilitated through Montana Disaster and Emergency Services.

The Whitefish Department's Facebook page shared photos of the team loading their trucks and many members of the community showed support and wish them well in their travels.

As of Tuesday morning more than 25 million California residents faced dangerous fire weather conditions.