Firefighters from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry's Fire Headquarters will help fight wildfires in California.

A 20-person interagency crew will leave today from fire headquarters at Morgan-Monroe State Forest. The crew consists of people from the DNR, Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, Hoosier National Forest, volunteer fire departments and qualified private personnel.

The crew is heading to the Basin Complex Fire near Big Sur, where the fire jumped control lines Wednesday. The fire site is considered the No. 1 priority because of its size, values threatened and the threat to public safety, according to a news release. Firefighters will meet with six other crews from the eastern United States in Missouri, then fly on to northern California.

"The Division of Forestry's Fire Headquarters has been mobilizing personnel and equipment to assist with wildland fire and other natural disasters since the 1970s. Our resources have become known nationally for their hard work ethic and can-do attitude," said Drew Daily, assistant state fire coordinator.

The National Wildland Fire Planning Level stands at Level 5, the highest, meaning there is a need for specially trained personnel and equipment to fight the fires.

As of Tuesday, 282 fires were burning 76,715 acres nationally.