By ELEANOR BLACK and NAOMI LARKIN
New Zealand firefighters in the United States to fight the worst forest fires in memory will put their training to the test today.
As hundreds of lightning strikes set off new fires in Canada yesterday and winds of 50 km/h swept the town of Missoula, Montana, the 10 New Zealand firefighters and 70 Australians prepared to start work.
Across the west, 76 major fires are burning on 347,600ha in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming as well as in Texas.
The flames threaten 2000 homes in Montana alone, and have already destroyed 169 buildings in the state, including more than 50 houses.
The Kiwis - rural fire officers and Department of Conservation staff - will supervise US firefighters.
National rural fire officer Murray Dudfield, who has been in Boise, Idaho, for the past week, said exhausted US firefighters had welcomed the Australasian contingent with open arms.
"If we could have sent 200 over here they would have made use of them. Eighty people have been snapped up very quickly by area command teams.
"They are keen to get out there and do what they have come here to do," said Mr Dudfield.
Sharon Sweeney, of the US National Fire Centre, said the transtasman group left Boise on Sunday and toured the worst-affected areas to watch fire behaviour.
The tour was occasionally delayed as fires crossed highways.
The firefighters will work in three regions: northern Idaho, southwest Montana and the Kootenay district of Montana.
American firefighter Tony Blanks said the visitors would find conditions challenging.
"Conifer forests burn differently to anything I've ever encountered in Australia, and different, probably, to anything in New Zealand."
North American forests burned more intensely and the wood's drying time was shorter, he said.
"We're focusing on the protection of life and property and structures. There's not much chance of maintaining and extinguishing the fires."
New Zealand team boss John Rasmussen said yesterday that the situation was desperate.
"Things are pretty ragged."
Mr Rasmussen said the Australasian contingent would be in the three regions for 14 days, have two days off, then be sent elsewhere, "but I don't know where to."
So far this fire season, more than 146,000ha of Montana has burned - an area larger than Los Angeles.
The fires have also spread across the border into British Columbia, Canada's largest timber-producing province. Firefighters are battling 300 wildfires triggered by a vicious lightning storm.
About 700ha have been burned along popular hiking trails.
In Nevada, a pilot died on Sunday when his helicopter crashed while dropping water on a wildfire.
Seven other people have died fighting US bushfires this year.
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