Above: A briefing at the Springs Fire, Banks-Garden Valley, Idaho, Boise National Forest, Idaho Dept. of Lands, August, 2012.

Tomorrow, November 24, 2016 is Thanksgiving Day in the United States, a time when most Americans, in addition to having a fine meal and enjoying sports on television, are thankful for their blessings.

There will be about 4,100 firefighters in the southern states that will not have those pleasures. They will be constructing fireline, burning out, installing fire hose, applying water, driving across the country, attending briefings, providing logistics, dispatching personnel, completing time sheets, and making plans for the next day of putting out the 120,000 acres that are currently burning.

Please keep those men and women in your thoughts on Thursday.

These photos are from the archives at the National Interagency Fire Center.