JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash — A Washington Army National Guard helicopter crew was mobilized Wednesday to help wildland firefighters across eastern, WA.
According to the Washington National Guard, A UH-60 Blackhawk and a crew from 1st Battalion, 168th General Support Aviation will be dropping water on multiple fires.
The crew has been sent out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord to support Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fire crews.
In a statement from Major General Gent Welsh, "Our National Guard members train for this mission every year and the chance to support our neighbors here in Washington during natural disasters is a staple of what makes the Guard so important," the adjutant general went on to say, "Being prepared to activate is critical and our aviation crews are always ready to support."
According to the release, this is the 10th year since 2012 that the Washington National Guard has been mobilized to help wildland firefighters in Washington.
More to Every Story: El Niño fueling active wildfire season
Wildfire season in the Northwest has proven to be active this year. The El Niño that brought warmer temperatures and drier conditions to the region this past winter will continue through most of the summer.
According to Chief Meteorologist Jeremy Lagoo, An abnormally warm dry winter in Washington and north Idaho led to a below-average snowpack in the Olympic Mountains, North Cascades, and the Northern Rockies.
The lower-than-average snowpack isn't give trees the moisture they need to make it through the dry months of summer.
For that reason, the northern forests will be more susceptible to wildfires this summer.