Kansas Guard to help fight Colorado fires
LAPORTE, CO - JUNE 11: Flames and smoke erupt atop a ridge near Horsetooth Reservoir on June 11, 2012 near Laporte, Colorado. The High Park Fire in Larimer County has burned almost 37,000 acres and damaged or destroyed more than 100 …
Photographer: Marc Piscotty/Getty Images
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted: 06/12/2012
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By: Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas National Guard helicopters are heading to Colorado to assist crews fighting wildfires.
The adjutant general's department said Tuesday that helicopters from the 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation Regiment are being deployed to help fight the fires that have forced hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes.
The fires cover 64 square miles in an area 15 miles from Fort Collins. The fires have already destroyed more than 100 structures.
The Guard's Black Hawk helicopters are equipped with buckets that can carry 660 gallons of water to dump on fires. The water can be scooped from local sources, such as ponds and lakes.
The Kansas soldiers are expected to be deployed as long as 15 days.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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