Smyrna, Del. (Aug. 14, 2025) – The Delaware Forest Service has mobilized 13 wildfire crew members from Blackbird State Forest to Arizona’s Tonto National Forest, approximately 150 miles northeast of Phoenix, to assist with containment of the month-old Billy fire.

Crew members include Sam Topper (crew boss), Hannah Small, Tom Hairgrove, Edward Boyer, Dave Pro, Matthew Grant, William Seybold, Robert Young, Josh Eastman, Nathan Riley, Noah Salemi, Jared Smith, and Jakob Lasocha.

The Billy fire was discovered on July 9 following a dry lightning storm and covers 17,210 acres. While at least 13 percent of the fire’s perimeter has been contained, continued fire growth is expected to the south and west towards Carr Mountain and Parker Creek, as well as private properties.

The Delaware Forest Service wildfire crew is drawn from both public and private sectors, who have completed their certification training with the National Wildfire Coordinating Center. This is the third wildfire the Delaware Forest Service has assisted with this summer, following two deployments to Colorado to help with the Turner Gulch fire earlier in July.

Per the United States Forest Service, the National Preparedness Level is at a 4 out of 5, reflecting heavier-than-normal response readiness for our wildland firefighting crews.

Delaware has trained more than 600 firefighters since 1996 and battled wildfires in numerous states, including Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. https://de.gov/wildfire.

For more information, contact Stephanie Alexander at Stephanie.Alexander@delaware.gov

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