The Delaware Forest Service is sending its wildfire crew to New Mexico as a steep increase in lightning-caused fires has pushed the National Preparedness Level to 5 on a 5-point scale, its highest level. Critical fire weather continues throughout the West. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the majority of the fire activity remains in Arizona and California, where over 1.5 million acres have burned. So far this year, more than 38,767 fires have burned 3.7 million acres. Delaware has trained more than 600 firefighters since 1996 and battled wildfires in numerous states, including: Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. http://de.gov/wildfire

Delaware's wildfire crew is returning to the First State after successfully battling blazes on a 14-day assignment in Arizona and California. Delaware's 21-person team mobilized at Blackbird State Forest in Smyrna on August 28. On August 30 they were assigned to the Griffin Fire, a 61,821-acre blaze in Arizona's Tonto National Forest in the U.S. Forest Service's Southwest Region. They subsequently took on the Rockhouse Fire, a 19,506-acre blaze on land managed by the San Carlos Agency of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, located 22 miles southeast of San Carlos, AZ. On September 9, they were transferred to the Southern California Geographic Area and assigned to the Valley Fire, which has consumed 17,665 acres in the Cleveland National Forest and located 19 miles northeast of Chula Vista, CA. The crew is expected to arrive back at Blackbird State Forest in Smyrna, Delaware by Friday afternoon, September 18.

Delaware's Type 2IA wildfire crew is headed to the Northern Rockies to join the national firefighting effort. The team of 20 firefighters departed Blackbird State Forest and is traveling by ground transportation to Montana for an eventual assignment in that region. This is the crew’s first assignment of 2021. Last year, Delaware sent a 20-person crew to fight blazes in Arizona and California. Delaware's team is a mix of veterans and rookies, drawn from both public agencies and the private sector, who completed their certification by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. After four days of travel, the crew will complete a planned 14-day assignment before returning to the First State.

Delaware's wildfire crew continues to battle the Harris Mountain Fire in the steep, rocky and mountainous terrain south of Cascade, Montana. The 31,345-acre blaze is currently 20 percent contained, with almost 300 personnel under a Type 2 Incident Management Team from the Northern Rockies to bring it under control According to crew boss Sam Topper, Delaware's 20-person Type 2IA crew has been constructing hotline on a critical piece of Division Z and has been working to keep the fire out of the head of Novak Creek. The crew has only four more shifts remaining before returning to the First State next week. The group departed Blackbird State Forest on July 21 and is serving a 14-day assignment. Delaware also has a new Type 6 engine crew fighting the Cedar Creek Fire, currently 52,030 acres and 25% percent contained, located in Washington’s Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.  The team of three firefighters is led by the Delaware Forest Service’s Todd Gsell and includes Todd Shaffer of Maryland and Andy Ney of Felton.

The Delaware Forest Service mobilized a 19-person wildfire crew from Blackbird State Forest to northern California. The crew will travel cross-country to join other wildfire crews to battle blazes as the number of wildfires in the area continue to grow, sparked by hot, dry, and windy weather combined with an unstable atmosphere, creating lightning-caused fires.

The Delaware Forest Service mobilized a 3-person wildland fire engine crew from Blackbird State Forest on July 28th for a fire assignment to Wawona, California. Working with the Yosemite National Park’s Emergency Communication Center and various agencies from all over the country, the crew will be working on patrolling and isolating new fire starts due to human activity and lightning strikes.

July 9, 2013: Update on the crew of 20 Delaware wildland firefighters in Alaska The crew of 20 firefighters from Delaware are now part of over 730 personnel assigned to the Stuart Creek 2 Fire – a wildfire located about 25 miles east of the town of North Pole, Alaska which has grown to 82,274 […]

Fire officials say that a team of 20 Delaware wildland firefighters who have spent almost two weeks battling the Stuart Creek 2 Fire – an 85,000-acre blaze burning near North Pole, Alaska – are tentatively scheduled to return to the First State by Monday, July 22. According to the latest update from the Eastern Area […]

In response to increased fire activity in the West, the Delaware Forest Service has sent a 20-person crew of wildland firefighters to Utah. The crew will be "pre-positioned" there before a likely assignment to Eastern Great Basin region. This is the second crew from Delaware this summer - the first battled an 85,000-acre blaze near North Pole, Alaska in July. The crew departed Sunday, August 11, from Blackbird State Forest near Smyrna to board a flight to Salt Lake City, Utah from Harrisburg, PA on Monday, August 12.

A team of wildland firefighters from Delaware is now assigned to the Patch Springs Fire – a 14,000-acre blaze located two miles northwest of Terra, UT that is only 20 percent contained. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the blaze is characterized by active fire behavior in timber with group tree torching and long-range spotting. Structures are threatened and evacuations in effect. The Delaware firefighters are working on Division Z, where they are assisting with burn-out operations, line prep and patrolling. There are four crews assigned to the blaze, part of almost 150 personnel assigned to the incident. Estimated containment date: August 22.

High-resolution images on Delaware Forest Service’s Facebook Photo Album DOVER – The Delaware Forest Service has sent a second wildfire crew to the western United States as 41 active large fires are burning over 700,000 acres across five western states, with most concentrated in California, Oregon, and Washington, with 10 each. So far this year, […]

The Delaware Forest Service has dispatched a 20-person wildfire crew to help fight a wave of lightning-caused wildfires around Hayfork, California in the area of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. California has declared a state of emergency and the Northern California Region is now at a maximum Preparedness Level of 5 on a 5-point scale. Delaware's team is part of almost 1,500 personnel on the Fork Complex Fire, a group of blazes totaling more than 25,000 acres near Hayfork, CA that is only 5 percent contained.

A team of 20 wildland firefighters under the direction of the Delaware Forest Service is working with 1,165 personnel currently battling the Fork Complex, a group of lightning-caused fires near Hayfork, California that totals 11,862 acres but is only 7 percent contained. Kyle Hoyd, the Delaware Forest Service's assistant forestry administrator, summarized the crew's effort: "We did a burnout with two engine teams on the Peak Fire off of a dozer line and put hand line around several structures in the same area." Earlier in the week, Hoyd reported that "everyone is doing well" but the "fire is in steep terrain with multiple hazards."

The Delaware Forest Service is sending a 20-person team of wildland firefighters to the Rocky Mountain region for a scheduled two-week assignment to battle wildfires for the National Interagency Fire Center. The crew departed Blackbird State Forest this morning and is headed to Denver, Colorado to be “pre-positioned” for a specific assignment.

Delaware’s wildland fire crew is returning to the First State after successfully battling wildfires in Colorado and Wyoming. The Delaware Forest Service dispatched the firefighters to Colorado on July 25. Their first assignment was assisting Colorado’s Bureau of Land Management on the 492-acre Milk Fire near Craig, Colorado. Next, they were sent by the Rocky Mountain Geographic Area Coordination Center to the 1,287-acre Tokewanna Fire near Mountain View, Wyoming. Finally, on August 4, they were dispatched to the 12,276-acre Whit Fire, located east of Yellowstone National Park near Cody, Wyoming.

Delaware is sending its second wildfire crew of the summer to the Great Basin region. Responding to a spike in wildfire activity in the West that has increased the National Fire Preparedness Level to 4 on a 5-point scale, Delaware has joined forces with neighboring Mid-Atlantic states (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio) to dispatch five crews, a total of 100 firefighters, to battle fires in the Great Basin. The crews departed Harrisburg, PA for Salt Lake City on August 25. Delaware is now assigned to the Henry's Creek Fire near Idaho Falls, Idaho.

After two weeks of battling wildfires in the rugged terrain of Idaho, a Delaware wildfire crew is returning to Blackbird State Forest on September 11 at approximately 8 a.m. The team was dispatched by the Delaware Forest Service on August 25 at a time when the National Fire Preparedness Level was 4 on a 5-point scale. Over the past 14 days, the team battled the 52,972-acre Henry’s Creek Fire near Idaho Falls and the 1260-acre Grape Creek Fire, located 6 miles southwest of Elba, Idaho.

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Friday released the following statement commending Delaware Forest Service’s wildfire crew prior to the mobilization of the 20-person team that will battle wildfires in the Rocky Mountain region. “Delaware’s wildfire crew is a group of well-trained volunteers and public servants who will leave the safety and comfort of […]

A wildfire crew from the Delaware Forest Service is now working on the 300-acre Wilson Fire, located 9 miles north of Meeker, Colorado in Rio Blanco County. Started by lightning on July 7, the blaze is currently 15 percent contained and is threatening oil and gas production equipment. Delaware’s crew is comprised of 17 firefighters from Delaware and three from West Virginia. The crew flew from Harrisburg, PA on Sunday to the Rocky Mountain region along with teams from Maryland, New Hampshire, and two crews from Pennsylvania.

Governor John C. Carney, Jr. and Secretary of Agriculture Michael T. Scuse celebrated the 90th anniversary of the Delaware Forest Service and honored the wildfire crew that just returned from two weeks battling blazes in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. The crew, which left the First State on July 8 and returned on July 23, first tackled the 700-acre Wilson Fire near Meeker, Colorado – started by lightning on July 7. The firefighters then moved on to the Grizzly Fire before finishing up on the Dragon Fire – located just south of Rangely, Colorado. Delaware’s team included 17 state and federal firefighters from Delaware and three from West Virginia. "The Forest Service has done unbelievable work over 90 years," Governor Carney told the audience. "As we celebrate 98 years of the Delaware State Fair, we've got a lot of other milestones that are happening, including the recognition of Delaware's state forestry service for 90 years of operation and their tremendous work."

The Delaware Forest Service is sending a 20-person wildfire crew to Colorado's Rocky Mountain region as more uncontained large fires in the West has increased the demand for trained firefighters. The National Fire Preparedness Level was increased to 3 on a 5-point scale on June 29, indicating that wildfire activity is occurring in multiple geographic areas and mobilization of resources through national agencies is moderate to heavy.  The crew mobilized on Tuesday, July 3 at Blackbird State Forest in Smyrna, Delaware and will travel to Denver from Philadelphia on July 4 for positioning in the Rocky Mountain Geographic Area, which has reported 5 new fires and currently has 6 uncontained large fires. Nationally, 66 fires are currently burning a total of 578,424 acres. As of July 3, a total of 277 wildfire crews  are currently deployed across all regions of the U.S. and wildfire activity is expected to increase.

The Delaware Forest Service is sending a crew of 20 wildland firefighters to the Northern Rockies to help battle wildfires in the West as the National Fire Preparedness Level is now at the maximum of 5 on a 5-point scale. The team is flying from Harrisburg to Missoula, Montana (MSO) on Sunday, August 5. Delaware also sent a crew to the Rocky Mountains on July 3.

Twenty wildland firefighters from Delaware are battling the Copper Mountain Fire, a 180-acre blaze located four miles east of Eastport, Idaho on the Canadian border that is 20% contained as of August 12. Delaware's crew comprises part of  the 137 personnel currently assigned to the incident.  Michael A. Valenti of Dover, Delaware's state forester and crew boss for the team, reports that firefighters are working in rough terrain and completing very long hikes to and from the fire each day. 

Delaware's wildfire crew returns to the First State this week after wrapping up a successful two-week assignment fighting blazes in northern Idaho's Panhandle National Forests.  The crew is scheduled to be back at Blackbird State Forest on Thursday, August 23, at approximately 6:15 p.m. The Delaware Forest Service dispatched the team of 20 wildland firefighters to Montana on August 4 and the crew was immediately sent to northern Idaho to fight the Copper Mountain Fire, situated on the Canadian border. This past week, the crew battled the Cougar Fire, a 5,880-acre blaze burning in steep rugged terrain located approximately 5 miles east of Hope, Idaho.

DOVER, Del. – The Delaware Forest Service is looking to increase its wildfire crews for the upcoming season through training for new recruits. During the 2018 wildfire season, Delaware sent two full crews out to Colorado, Idaho, and Montana to be first responders. Interested recruits should be over 18 years old, physically fit, motivated, and […]