MACON, Ga. — Georgia Forestry Commission ranger Troy Helms Jr. says the videos and pictures that are circulating the internet are a real depiction of the wildfires out west.
"That is real life. Those videos and those pictures are not doctored," he says.
Helms was the crew boss of a 20-man crew who traveled out to California to help fight the wildfires.
"The air quality isn't the best. You're gonna have a snotty nose, you're gonna have burning eyes, itching eyes, wake up coughing every morning," he says.
Helms and his crew returned from California at the end of August. He says they spent two and a half weeks total fighting fires across 4,000 acres of land, but he says by the time they left, it spread to about 40,000 acres and conditions were dangerous.
"I had one guy with a busted up ankle and had another guy, a good good friend, who took a 15-foot spill off a cliff. Had to get him to medics, it's the unforeseen stuff that catches you," he says.
Helms says despite the dangers of the job, one of the best things about it is the comradery.
"When you're in situations like that with your coworkers, there's a bond that's formed that, it's, I don't know how to describe it, but it's awesome," Helms says.
He says his crew were able to head back to Georgia on time, and despite the dangers, he'll always answer the call for help.
"There's no doubt in my mind that I am here because I feel like God told me this is where I need to be, and there's a huge peace that comes with doing what you know you're supposed to be doing," he says.
Helms says the forestry commission still has a crew fighting fires in Oregon now.