North Carolina firefighters are watching the wildfires out in Colorado closely and they're ready to help as soon as someone asks. Right now, one firefighter is in Colorado from our state. However, that number could easily climb.
At this stage, Colorado is relying on help from surrounding states. If the fire keeps burning, those crews will tire out and that's when Colorado could turn to our state for help.
North Carolina has plenty of wildfires, as well. Over the past ten years, we've averaged about 4600 wildfires a year. Those fires burn about 29,000 acres a year.
Money to fight the fires comes from state, local and government sources. Last year, it cost about seven and half million dollars to fight wildfires in North Carolina. The state also has a $200,000 annual budget to cover the cost of supplies and meals for workers fighting wildfires.
What causes wildfires? Lightning, smoking, camping and burning debris are just a few. In addition, fighting a wildfire is different that fighting a building fire. Firefighters must go through specialized training to learn how to keep wildfires under control.
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WFMY News 2