From the moment Arizona native Andrew Harrington landed in Australia, the long time firefighter and tanker pilot knew his presence was appreciated.
"They were very thankful for us to be there but we were just as thankful to go over there and help," said Harrington.
Harrington flies for a company called Erickson Aero Tanker, called in to Australia as millions of acres burned out of control.
"It was on a pretty large scale because of the urban interface, usually these bush fire are burning in the middle of no where but they were in Sydney and Canberra, and Brisbane, right in the middle of neighborhoods," said Harrington.
He spent weeks dive bombing retardant into the growing flames.
Even from the air, it was hard knowing what was happening on the ground.