MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
Three Hutchinson firefighters are heading to Northern California to assist with ongoing wildfire response efforts.
The Hutchinson Fire Department announced Tuesday that Brush 71 and a three-person crew are deploying to Northern California as wildland fires continue to burn across the region.
According to the department, the crew had not been assigned to a specific incident at the time of departure. Officials said that could change at any time because of the potential for extreme fire activity across the region.
The deployment comes during what the department described as an exceptionally demanding 2026 wildfire season. According to HFD, more acres have already burned this year than during all of 2025, despite the typical wildfire season continuing into October.
Firefighters and other wildland resources are expected to remain heavily committed across the country in the coming months.
“The Hutchinson Fire Department is once again supporting wildland fire operations beyond our community,” the department said in its release.
HFD said the wildland firefighting community has been actively responding to incidents and supporting deployments since early May.
Those assignments can require firefighters to spend extended periods away from their families and home communities while working in difficult and often unpredictable conditions.
The department asked the community to keep the Brush 71 crew, other wildland firefighters and their families in their thoughts as crews continue responding during the busy fire season.
Hutchinson firefighters have previously assisted with wildland fire operations outside the local area as part of mutual aid and resource deployments.