Samoan singing

NICK EICHER, HOST: California is enduring one of its worst fire seasons ever. More than 1.4 million acres have burned so far. Firefighters have come from all over the country and even from all over the world to help out.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: One group is from the Pacific island of Samoa. A 22-member unit called Samoa 61 has made a name for itself by singing while out on the fire line.

Crew boss Andrew Lee told the Los Angeles Times they’ve sung of blessing and of offering a prayer of thanksgiving to God.

EICHER: This isn’t the first year Samoa 61 has come to California’s aid. We’ve pulled a video from 2017, because it’s clear audio and a tune you’ll likely recognize.

They sing as they march out of the woods at the end of a day’s work.

(Photo/Amulya Shankar, YouTube)

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.