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Ft. Carson soldiers could join firefighting effort in California
Story By: Bea Karnes
Source: CNN
Pentagon officials say that the secretary of defense is expected to sign an order to send around 1,000 Fort Carson troops to California to help with firefighting efforts. If the order is signed, the troops will join California National Guard troops and firefighters battling the hundreds of wildfires that have blackened areas of the state in recent weeks.
"I think that the firefighters are all doing a great job, but a lot of them are being stretched thin and working overtime," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told reporters. "We have to be careful that they get enough sleep and rest.
Currently, 2,100 fire personnel are trying to contain more than 1,400 fires that are burning throughout the state. "We have already had 423,000 acres burned," Schwarzenegger said. "Last year, we had 500,000, so we are coming very close."
