Minnesota man returns home after fighting devastating fires in Australia

(FOX 9) - A Minnesota forester is back in the Twin Cities after fighting the devastating bushfires in Australia.

Martin Casselius described in detail his month-long deployment.

“The sheer magnitude of it…I mean huge areas burned,” he said. “There’s just so much fire that you just help where you can.”

The fires, which were exacerbated by a drought and record temperatures, scorched nearly 20 million acres. Cassellius, who works in the fire management program for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Bloomington, was among 40 firefighters from around the U.S. who were called on to help.

“We’re qualified to do pretty much do anything that we were asked to do,” he said. 

Cassellius who is trained in forestry, spent the majority of his time on the ground in Victoria, the second largest state in Australia.

“You’d go to structures and protect them. That’s exactly what you’d do. You’d try to save structures when you can, evacuate people.” 

The fast-moving fires destroyed thousands of homes, wiping out wildlife and claiming more than two dozen lives.

“One of the great things about the Australian system is that they really rely upon the volunteers, more so than we do in our country. I mean, it was pretty amazing.”

After months of turmoil, Australia's bushfires are contained, and Cassellius is glad to have been able to lend a helping hand.

Now, in the aftermath, the focus is on rebuilding the area. Federal funding is already pouring in to help rebuild schools and health facilities wiped out by fire. Australia will commit billions of dollars in aid to help cover the cost of recovery.