Massachusetts woman sees son fighting California wildfires

STURBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — For Mary Blanchard of Sturbridge, it was a familiar face on the front page of the Telegram & Gazette on July 30.

But it wasn't a local shot. Instead that face was coming all the way from the front lines of the California wildfires.

"I glanced at it and thought, 'Holy smokes, that looks like Brian,' " recalled Mrs. Blanchard. She checked the number on the firefighter's helmet and found that it was Brian. "Of the thousands of firefighters, to have your son's picture there was amazing."

Brian Blanchard is one of the thousands of firefighters from across the globe converging in California to fight 16 major fires that have erupted.