Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua firefighters set to join American counterparts to fight deadly California wildfires

Alice Guy
By Alice Guy
Reporter, Rotorua Daily Post·NZ Herald·
2 Aug, 2018 01:26 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Seven people are missing and at least six confirmed dead in what is being described as a 'monstrous' California wildfire. / AP

Three firefighters from around Rotorua are headed to California to help their American counterparts battle more than 15 deadly wildfires.

They are among 36 fire personnel from across New Zealand who are headed to combat the wildfires raging across the north and northwest of the United States.

At least eight people have been killed by the blazes and more than 1000 homes and businesses have been destroyed.

The state's biggest fire, named the Carr Fire, has ripped through 44,570 hectares of California in the past week.

Team members will head first to Boise, Idaho, to be inducted and then deployed to sites where they are needed most.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Phil Muldoon.  Photo/File
Phil Muldoon. Photo/File

Lake Okareka Rural Fire Force chief fire officer Phil Muldoon is one of those who flew out today, alongside a firefighter from Whakatane, one from Hancocks Forest Management and another from Timberlands.

"It's a way to increase the skill set helping with the fire, but also to improve our own skill set.

"The fire is at a massive scale compared to what we get in [New Zealand]."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Muldoon said he couldn't help but wonder what he was going to face when he arrived in the United States.

"It's good to be a bit nervous."

Forest burns in the Carr Fire west of Redding, California.  Photo/Gettys
Forest burns in the Carr Fire west of Redding, California. Photo/Gettys

He will be in the US for the next 42 days.

"The family are a little bit apprehensive about me going. This is one of the biggest jobs I have ever been to."

Discover more

Firefighters climb Sky Tower for charity

20 May 08:00 PM

Lake Okareka set to get a new fire station

04 Jun 10:00 PM

Okareka residents clash over expansion

10 Jul 09:01 PM

Heavy rain watch for Bay of Plenty

02 Aug 03:09 AM

Fire and Emergency New Zealand national manager Rural Kevin O'Connor said the deployment provided an opportunity to assist a country that assisted us after the Christchurch earthquake.

"It also provides an invaluable development opportunity for our people."

The New Zealanders will operate as part of a joint Anzac deployment with fire and emergency personnel from across Australia.

"Since 2000 firefighters from New Zealand have participated in 20 overseas deployments - six to the United States, three to Canada and 11 to Australia. A total of 784 people have been involved.

"The most recent deployment was to Canada in August 2017 when we sent 80 people to British Colombia."

Crew members from Rotorua were also deployed to Canada.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The team to the US includes people from Fire and Emergency NZ, the New Zealand Defence Force, the Department of Conservation, forestry companies and contractors.

Team members will work in a range or roles including as safety officers, crew bosses, task force leaders and helicopter managers.

New Zealand has also received a formal request from Canada to assist with the growing number of wild fires in Ontario, British Columbia and the Yukon Territory.

Details of what assistance is required are being worked through and a New Zealand contingent is expected to head to Canada early next week.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Sport

Rugby showdown: Local teams gear up for Baywide semis

09 Jul 06:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Rain train: Weather watches keep rolling in for Bay of Plenty

09 Jul 01:32 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

'Ecstatic' reunion: Cat found after year-long disappearance

09 Jul 12:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rugby showdown: Local teams gear up for Baywide semis

Rugby showdown: Local teams gear up for Baywide semis

09 Jul 06:00 AM

Whakarewarewa dominated Te Puna with a 57-10 win in Rotorua.

Rain train: Weather watches keep rolling in for Bay of Plenty

Rain train: Weather watches keep rolling in for Bay of Plenty

09 Jul 01:32 AM
'Ecstatic' reunion: Cat found after year-long disappearance

'Ecstatic' reunion: Cat found after year-long disappearance

09 Jul 12:00 AM
'Horrible': Memorial for deaf, blind man killed in alleged hit-and-run is destroyed

'Horrible': Memorial for deaf, blind man killed in alleged hit-and-run is destroyed

08 Jul 10:50 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP