ALBION, Calif. — Sweat rolled down Lisa Mirander’s forehead as she hacked a tangle of saplings and brush down to bare dirt to prevent a wildfire from spreading. It was a tough job, but no harder than the 13 months she served in Afghanistan.
California’s wildfire season has become so severe so swiftly that for the first time in more than 30 years, National Guard troops have been deployed to fight the flames on the ground. Many are arriving at the fire line just after returning from combat zones.
For Mirander, the two jobs share some similarities.
In combat, she said, “you worried about the bullets. Here, you got the fire.”
The Guard is stepping in as crews across the state struggle to contain hundreds of lightning-sparked fires that have burned more than 1,000 square miles and destroyed nearly 100 homes in the past three weeks.
By Thursday, 1,450 fires had been contained, but more than 320 were still active.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the California National Guard to the front lines and expects to call up more troops. On Thursday, he requested additional resources from President Bush.
Conditions are expected to worsen, with a continuing heat wave and additional lightning storms predicted for the rest of the week, Schwarzenegger said.
