LUFKIN, Texas (KLTV) - The Lufkin Fire Department deployed five firefighters to north-central Texas Tuesday to assist in firefighting efforts in Palo Pinto and Jack counties.

The Texas Emergency Medical Task Force requested the aid for the growing Ross and Rio Escondido fires, which have burned more than 800,000 acres combined, according to reports.

A battalion chief and firefighter left as part of the wildland paramedic unit, and a captain and driver-operator responded in an ambulance, with an assistant fire chief acting as ambulance strike team leader, according to a press release.