The North Dakota National Guard says five soldiers have returned to North Dakota after fighting wildfires in California.

The Guard says three North Dakota Army National Guard pilots and two crew chiefs left July 3 in a Black Hawk helicopter with a water bucket. Three soldiers rotated out with three others during the operation.

The Guard says the North Dakota soldiers dropped about 118,000 gallons of water on the fires during about 50 flight hours.

Gov. John Hoeven praised the state Guard members for "professionalism and true dedication to duty."

The Guard says more than 80,000 acres have burned in California over the past month.

- Associated Press