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Twenty-one Kentucky Division of Forestry firefighters are on their way to Alaska to help fight wildfires. The request came in on Sunday through the Kentucky Interagency Coordination Center of the Daniel Boone National Forest, which coordinates the mobilization of federal and state resources to areas throughout United States.

Sixteen full-time and five seasonal KDF firefighters will leave Monday afternoon from Tennessee and head to Alaska where they will be assigned to a fire.

There are currently seven large fires burning in Alaska. According to Alaska Dispatch News the major wildfires are in Mat-Su and on the Kenai Peninsula. They say 67 new fires were reported over the weekend.

Over 2,000 firefighters, nearly 900 from Alaska are already fighting the fires.

The 21 firefighters volunteering their time will take leave from their regular duties and join the United States Forest Service for the 14-day assignment. They will join with federal personnel from the Daniel Boone National Forest, Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area, Great Onyx Job Corps and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area to form two crews.

From WKYT CBS News: https://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Kentucky-firefighters-to-help-with-Alaska-wildfires-309090241.html