Maine will be sending two firefighting crews to California to help battle the devastating fires that continue to ravage the state.

The two crews will consist of eight Forest Rangers and twelve volunteer firefighters. These first responders will spend two weeks in California assisting in the “response and recovery efforts.”

These Mainers are expected to arrive in California by Tuesday evening to begin offering support.

“In times of emergency and crisis, states step up to help one another and that is what we are proud to be doing here,” Gov. Janet Mills (D) said in a statement Monday.

“Our highly trained Forest Rangers and volunteer firefighters are answering the call to support the people of California and provide much-needed relief to exhausted teams on the ground,” Gov. Mills said. “I thank them for their service and bravery.”

Click Here to Read Gov. Mills’ Full Press Release

Over the past week, these fires have burned about 40,000 acres of Los Angeles, destroying thousands of homes and businesses. The Palisades fire alone is responsible for about 26,000 acres worth of this destruction and is now reportedly only about 14 percent contained.

As of Monday, the fires are known to have claimed 24 lives. 16 individuals were killed by the Eaton fire, while the other 8 deaths are attributed to the Palisades Fire, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office. An additional 16 people are currently missing.

Forecasts predict that the area will again experience high winds in the coming days, likely making first responders’ efforts to gain control of the flames significantly more difficult.

Over the past eight months, the Los Angeles area has seen no significant amount of rainfall.

Evacuation orders are in place for around 92,000 Los Angeles residents, while 89,000 are in evacuation warning zones, meaning that they may need to leave at a moment’s notice.

A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses caused so far by the fires between $135 billion and $150 billion.

Although no official cause of the fires has been announced by California officials, a lawsuit was filed Monday against Southern California Edison alleging that the utility’s equipment sparked the Eaton fire.

According to the Associated Press, Southern California Edison has “acknowledged” that fire agencies are actively investigating whether their equipment may have started a smaller fire in the Los Angeles area that broke out the same day.

Maine has previously mobilized the Maine Forest Service to aid in the response efforts to other disasters nationwide, including sending help to North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene this past October.

The state has explained that while these crews are deployed to provide assistance throughout the country, the state continues to maintain “sufficient personnel” to respond to local emergencies.