US wildfire operators have begun moving from seasonal to full-time fire crews to cope with what is turning into a yearlong fire season as climate change makes the American West warmer and drier.
Crews also were able to remove brush and other dangerous fuel while unable to battle the blaze.
On Thursday the U.S. Bureau of Land Management said it will add 76 firefighters and support staff to its 3.400 staff.
In addition, about 428 firefighter units will shift from part time seasonal to full-time seasonal or full-time seasonal employees with health and pension coverage.
“As a nation, we are coming to grips with the effects of climate change on fire activity,”Grant Beebe
“As a nation, we are coming to grips with the effects of climate change on fire activity,” said Grant Beebe, deputy director for fire and aviation at the ground authority.
The rest would be seasonal workers, many of whom are university students going back to classes in the fall.
Climate change is making the weather more extreme and forest fires more widespread and even more destructive.
