A severe weather system forecast to hit Minnesota this week prompted the state’s Department of Natural Resources to request firefighting resources from Oregon last Friday. On May 7 and 8, the Oregon Dept. of Forestry sent 12 helicopter crewmen to The Land of 10,000 Lakes. These specially trained firefighters have been pre-positioned in areas of Minnesota likely to see new fires in the days ahead. They will be deployed via helicopter as needed to perform initial attack.
The Washington Dept. of Natural Resources received a similar request from Minnesota DNR and has also provided firefighting resources.