U.S. firefighters arrive in Australia to help with wildfire response

SYDNEY, Australia (NBC) – Firefighters from the United States arrived in Sydney Monday) to assist their Australian colleagues battling wildfires that have ravaged the country.

Nationwide, at least 25 people have been killed and 2,000 homes destroyed by the blazes, which have so far scorched an area twice the size of Maryland.

Rain has started to fall, but not across all fire-affected areas and not enough to douse the fires, and is creating new difficulties.

“The current situation is it’s extreme,” explained U.S. firefighter Tony Demasters. “You know that there’s a lot of people that have been at it for since September and October through November and stuff. So people are tired. And so we’re here to actually believe and try to lend a hand and give those folks the rest that they direly need. So it is an extreme situation.”

U.S. Consul General in Sydney Sharon Hudson-Dean said, “There has been a tremendous amount of concern in the United States amongst the public and amongst the U.S. government about what is happening here. We have had an ongoing agreement between the United States and Australia to assist with these types of fires for many, many years. Australia has come to our aid many times and now we are happy that our folks have stepped up very eagerly to assist with this crisis.”