Conn. Firefighters To Battle Canadian Wildfires

Conn. Firefighters To Battle Canadian Wildfires

15 June 2010

published by www.wfsb.com


USA — Firefighters with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection are lending a helping hand to crews in Canada in an effort to control wildfires outside the Quebec City.

A 13-person crew left Connecticut Tuesday morning and could be in Canada for up to two weeks.

The firefighters prepared to assist in battling the wildfires with a three-day training course.

“We’ve sent individuals in thhe past, but never the crew, so it’s a bit different for us,” said DEP forest fire supervisor Ralp Scarpino.

The DEP is sending the entire crew because the situation outside Quebec City is getting worse, with the latest numbers showing more than 365,000 acres of forest having burned. The main cause of the fires is lightning strikes, officials said.

“When they get fire and they get wind, it can become a dire situation,” Scarpino said.

For many of the firefighters, it will be their first time in Canada. So, armed with a sense of adventure and a willingness to help, they will travel to Manchester, N.H., and board a jet bound for Quebec.

Crews from Rhode Island and Maine are being sent to Canada as well.


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