As wildfires burn tens of thousands of acres in Louisiana, several Kentuckians are helping contain the flames.
Dwayne Anderson is a wildland firefighter. He's worked for the Kentucky Division of Forestry for decades. In 2005, he was part of a crew that responded to Louisiana for Hurricane Katrina. Now, he's back helping fight the Tiger Island Fire.
"Basically, what we're doing is creating a fire break, removing vegetation, anything that's capable of burning, down to mineral soil, and create a line around it that fire cannot cross," Anderson said.
The fire has burned more than 31,000 acres. Officials believe it was intentionally set. As of the most recent update, it was 65% contained.
Anderson and the rest of the Kentucky firefighters have been in Louisiana since August 26. They expect to return home September 10. Anderson said they often sacrifice time at home to help wherever they're needed.
"Our guys do a lot of sacrifice - flood, hurricane, local, national, it doesn't matter. I'm not sure that most folks realize that that's part of the job duties," he said.
The wildland firefighting community is close. Anderson said they often build bonds working incidents all over the country.
"There's folks that showed up on the fire today that I worked with 25 years ago. Different states, different agencies. It's a close-knit family, no joke, nationwide. Not only with state Division of Forestry, but every agency. If you've been on more than four or five travel assignments, you're going to run into someone you've met before," he said.
Ultimately, Anderson said, they want to be sure they step up to help, just as others have helped in Kentucky.
"Last fall, we had folks that came to Kentucky to help us, so the wildland fire community is one big family, period. We help, they help. It is very rewarding," Anderson said.
