A brand new crew of wildland firefighters is about to get its feet wet fighting a fire in the rugged Alaska wilderness.
The Swan Lake Fire in Alaska is now 32,000 acres and threatening numerous recreation areas. A team of 20 just finished its training at the Boise Wildland Firefighting Academy is headed there Thursday.
Alaska is a favorite destination that many firefighters wait their whole career to see, according to crew supervisor Preston Glaisyer.
"It's a whole different way to fight fire in Alaska," Glaisyer said. "It's quite a contrast to how we do things down here. It's a unique experience for sure."
Glaisyer says bears, mosquitoes and frozen tundra are just three of the unique experiences the rookies will have to deal with.
The crew will be in Alaska for anywhere between 14 and 23 days.
