CARLISLE, MASS. (WHDH) - Local firefighters received a special send-off Wednesday in Carlisle as they head to Canada to fight wildfires.
21 firefighters from agencies in New England are headed to Quebec where they will help crews battle more than 70 wildfires that have been burning since the beginning of June.
“Once you have a little over a million acres burning, it’s really difficult to put those fires out,” said Chief David Celino, Fire Warden Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. “We’ve noticed it here in New England with smoke impacts repeatedly over the last 3 to 4 weeks, and so we’re really happy to help out.”
Outside Canada, the fires have had an impact on air quality in the US, with many cities and towns left in a smoky haze over the last month.
This is now the second crew of firefighters sent across the border after the first returned on June 30.
The deployments of firefighters are coming in response to a request from the Northeast Forest Fire Protection Commission, whose goal is to help crews in Canada keep fires from growing larger.
The team of firefighters now headed north will work on the fire line for two weeks.
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