California firefighters are heading to Australia to battle deadly brushfires on the ground

Los Angeles (CNN) Twenty veteran California firefighters are heading to Australia as the first US ground crew to battle out-of-control wildfires that have killed at least 23 people.

The Angeles National Forest crew will deploy from Los Angeles on Monday, the US Forest Service reports.

Crew members from the Angeles National Forest will offer on-the-ground support.

The US has sent dozens of managers to Australia already, but this team is thought to be the first that puts shovels in the ground to dig fire breaks, starts back fires with drip torch cans, and hikes dusty miles in rough terrain.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to reciprocate to our Australian brothers and sisters for the same assistance they've given us for many years," said fire technician Jonathan Merager.

Australia and New Zealand have been sending firefighters to the United States for more than 15 years, the Forest Service says. The most recent example was in August 2018, when 138 arrived, a federal spokeswoman said. The last time US firefighters worked in Australia was 2010.

Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A father holds his daughter as the skies above turn red during the day on January 4 in Mallacoota, Australia. Many parents with young children were stuck in Mallacoota after flights were grounded because of smoke and only school-aged children and older were allowed to evacuate by boat. Hide Caption 1 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia The sky turns red during the day in Mallacoota, Australia. People in the Foreshore Caravan Park are staying through what will be a day of severe fire conditions with large fires still burning out of control to the north of the town. Hide Caption 2 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A Royal Australian Navy crew unload luggage as evacuees from Mallacoota arrive aboard the MV Sycamore on January 4 at the port of Hastings, Australia. Hide Caption 3 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Smoke from wildfires shrouds a road near Moruya, Australia, on January 4. Hide Caption 4 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Nancy Allen stands outside her house as high winds push smoke and ash from the Currowan Fire toward Nowra in New South Wales on January 4. Hide Caption 5 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Evacuees board the Royal Australian Navy's MV Sycamore on January 3 in Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia. Navy ships plucked hundreds of people from beaches and tens of thousands were urged to flee before hot weather and strong winds in the forecast worsen Australia's already devastating wildfires. Hide Caption 6 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Massive smoke rises from wildfires burning in East Gippsland, Victoria on January 2. Hide Caption 7 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Royal Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons presents a posthumous Commendation for Bravery and Service on January 2 to the son of RFS volunteer Geoffrey Keaton, who was killed battling bushfires , at Keaton's funeral in Buxton, New South Wales. Hide Caption 8 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Boats are pulled ashore as smoke and wildfires rage on January 2 behind Lake Conjola. Hide Caption 9 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Cars line up as people evacuate the town of Batemans Bay in New South Wales on January 2. Hide Caption 10 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A satellite image released by Copernicus Sentinel dated December 31 shows bushfires burning across Australia. Hide Caption 11 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A kangaroo rushes past a burning house in Lake Conjola, Australia, on December 31. Hide Caption 12 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A man tries to defend a property in Lake Conjola on December 31. Hide Caption 13 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Firefighters hose down trees as they battle against bushfires around the town of Nowra in the Australian state of New South Wales on December 31, 2019. Thousands of holidaymakers and locals were forced to flee to beaches in fire-ravaged southeast Australia on December 31, as blazes ripped through popular tourist areas leaving no escape by land. Hide Caption 14 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A destroyed home in Sarsfield, East Gippsland, Victoria, on December 31. Hide Caption 15 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Children evacuated from areas affected by bushfires play at the showgrounds in the southern New South Wales town of Bega on December 31. Hide Caption 16 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A skycrane drops water on a bushfire burning near houses in Bundoora, Melbourne, on Monday, December 30. Hide Caption 17 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) captured this satellite image of the historic bushfires burning across Australia on December 26. Hide Caption 18 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is briefed by fire officials at New South Wales Rural Fire Service control room in Sydney on December 22. Morrison arrived back in Sydney amid criticism after taking a family holiday to Hawaii during the bushfire emergency. Hide Caption 19 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Tributes for volunteer firemen Andrew O'Dwyer and Geoffrey Keaton are seen at Horsley Park Rural Fire Brigade in Sydney, Australia, on December 22. It's believed they were killed when their vehicle hit a tree before rolling off the road, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service said in a statement Hide Caption 20 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A firefighter battles the Gospers Mountain Fire in Bilpin, New South Wales, on Saturday, December 21. Hide Caption 21 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A charred bicycle lies on the ground in front of a house destroyed by bushfires on the outskirts of Bargo on December 21. Hide Caption 22 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Fire and rescue personnel monitor a bushfire as it burns near homes on the outskirts of Bilpin on Thursday, December 19. Hide Caption 23 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A property burns in Balmoral on December 19. Hide Caption 24 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A helicopter drops fire-retardant to protect a property in Balmoral. Hide Caption 25 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Police disperse demonstrators during a climate protest near Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's official residence in Sydney, on December 19, during his absence on an overseas holiday, as bushfires burned across the region. Hide Caption 26 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Children swing into the Penrith river during a heatwave in Sydney on December 19. Hide Caption 27 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A landscape of burnt trees is pictured after a bushfire at Mount Weison, in the Blue Mountains, on Wednesday, December 18. Hide Caption 28 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A wallaby flees a fire burning near Mangrove Mountain, north of Sydney, on December 10. Hide Caption 29 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A smoke haze blankets Bondi Beach as the air quality index reaches higher than ten times hazardous levels in some suburbs of Sydney on December 10. Hide Caption 30 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia People join a guided climb of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as bushfire haze darkens the sky on December 6. Hide Caption 31 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia People are seen wearing face masks to protect against the poor air quality in Sydney on December 5. Hide Caption 32 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A bushfire burns out of control in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales on December 2, Hide Caption 33 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia An aerial view shows bushfires burning in the Richmond Valley on November 26. Hide Caption 34 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A CFA crew member rests after a day of maintaining controlled back burns in St Albans, Australia, on November 21. Hide Caption 35 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia An injured koala receives treatment after its rescue from a bushfire at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital on November 19. The hospital said the fires have "decimated" the area, which is a key habitat and breeding ground for the marsupials. More than 350 koalas are feared to have been killed by bushfires in NSW, according to animal experts. Hide Caption 36 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Firefighters try to protect the Colo Heights Public School on November 19. Hide Caption 37 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Bushfire smoke clouds the sky over the Hawkesbury River in Brooklyn, Australia. Hide Caption 38 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Firefighters work on controlled back burns on November 14. Hide Caption 39 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia This satellite image shows wildfire smoke on November 14. Hide Caption 40 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A man uses a wet towel to help put out flames near the town of Taree on November 14. Hide Caption 41 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Firefighters organize their crews prior to working on controlled back burns in Sydney on November 14. Hide Caption 42 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Warren Smith pats his dog after returning to find his house destroyed near Nana Glen on November 13. Hide Caption 43 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Teresa de Ruyter, left, and Michelle Wilson embrace after returning to their homes near Nana Glen on November 13. Hide Caption 44 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Firefighters battle a spot fire in Hillville on November 13. Hide Caption 45 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Residents look on as thick smoke rises from bushfires near Nana Glen on November 12. Hide Caption 46 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison looks at a screen as he gets a briefing on the bushfire situation on November 12. Hide Caption 47 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Locals watch the fires impact farmland near Nana Glen on November 12. Hide Caption 48 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A firefighter mops up after a bushfire in the Sydney suburb of Llandilo on November 12. Hide Caption 49 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A fire and rescue team inspects damage around the village of Torrington on November 11. Hide Caption 50 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Andrew Mackenzie surveys the damage to the area around his home in Torrington. His home was spared, but his neighbors' house was burned to the ground. Hide Caption 51 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Smoke from the Gulf Road Fire fills the air in Glen Innes on November 11. Hide Caption 52 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A sign on a Taree fire station warns of "catastrophic" fire conditions. Hide Caption 53 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A lone joey is pictured on a scorched patch of ground in Torrington on November 11. Hide Caption 54 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Emergency crews tend to animals on a property in Torrington on November 11. Hide Caption 55 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Burnt trees dot the landscape in Old Bar on November 10. Hide Caption 56 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A firefighter works to contain a bushfire near Taree on November 10. Hide Caption 57 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A helicopter drops water on a bushfire in Old Bar on November 9. Hide Caption 58 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia This aerial photo, taken on November 9, shows bushfires in the northeastern part New South Wales. Hide Caption 59 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Fires burn in the distance as children play on a beach in Forster on November 9. Hide Caption 60 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A fire rages in Bobin on November 9. Hide Caption 61 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia The remains of a property are seen in Bobin on November 9. Hide Caption 62 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A plane drops fire retardant on a bushfire in Harrington on November 8. Hide Caption 63 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Firefighters try to put out a bushfire in Woodford on November 8. Hide Caption 64 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Police knock on the door of a house to warn residents of an out-of-control bushfire near Clumber on November 8. Hide Caption 65 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia A resident hoses smoldering logs as a bushfire burns in Woodford on November 8. Hide Caption 66 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia The sun is seen through heavy smoke as a bushfire burns in Woodford. Hide Caption 67 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Firefighters hose down an area in Woodford. Hide Caption 68 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia Forster residents watch as a water-bombing helicopter flies over a bushfire on November 7. Hide Caption 69 of 70 Photos: In photos: Bushfires rage through Australia In this handout photo from NASA's Aqua satellite, destructive bushfires are seen off the coast of New South Wales on November 7. Hide Caption 70 of 70