LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On Tuesday, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders authorized the deployment of six wildland firefighters from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Forestry Division to help Louisiana amid its ongoing wildfire suppression efforts.
According to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, approximately 40,000 acres of wildland fire have impacted Louisiana as "a third of the state continues to experience extreme drought conditions."
The six-person crew will deploy to Tiger Island Fire on Sept. 20 for two weeks to check and maintain existing firebreaks.
Trucks and ATVs with water tanks will also be sent to help with the wildfire response efforts.
The South Central Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact allows Forestry Division employees from other states to be mobilized across state lines to assist with wildfire suppression.
Sanders previously authorized Arkansas crews to help with fire suppression in Louisiana from Sept. 8 to 23 and also allowed two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the Arkansas National Guard's 77th Theatre Aviation Brigade to assist the Louisiana National Guard's wildfire suppression efforts from Aug. 31 to Sept. 7.