As of Monday morning, CalFire reports that the Horse Fire in the King Range just north of Shelter Cove has burned 146 acres and is 70 percent contained.  

“Resources on the Horse Fire made excellent progress throughout the night,” CalFire states in its latest update on the blaze. “Today crews will continue to work to put out hot spots and strengthen control lines in steep, rugged terrain.”

Photo: US National Park Service, American Samoa

Wonderful. Some of the thanks for the Horse Fire’s swift suppression goes to a fire crew brought in from American Samoa, one of many teams from around the world brought in to assist with California’s frightening 2015 fire season. And with the influx of overseas aid comes some cultural benefits. In the video below, posted to Facebook by Drew Rhoads, the America Samoa group “show their appreciation” for the crew shuttles to the Horse Fire from C-101 and 102 by showing us their Haka.

If you are unfamiliar with what a Haka is, here is a brief Wikipedian education: 

The haka (plural is the same as singular: haka) is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance, or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment.

War haka were originally performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess in order to intimidate the opposition, but haka are also performed for various reasons: for welcoming distinguished guests, or to acknowledge great achievements.

A blurb-ish post on Radio New Zealand International‘s website states that the 16-person team is made up of a mixture of national parks, government and local business workers.

Thanks for putting out our fires, crew! Hopefully you get a chance to visit our admittedly less-lush Samoa beach!