A 20-person crew of firefighters from Connecticut is heading to California to help fight wildfires in the northern part of the state.
The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said that crew members are scheduled to depart on Tuesday for up to two weeks. The crew consists of 14 employees of DEEP and six local firefighters.
Officials said this is the first time this year that a crew from Connecticut has been deployed to help fight wildfires. The state participates in a reciprocal aid program operated by the U.S. Forest Service and is fully reimbursed for all costs associated with a wildfire crew's deployment.
California has seen an above average number of fires this year, and Governor Jerry Brown over the weekend declared a state of emergency.
WNPR's Patrick Skahill spoke with wildfire firefighter Chris Renshaw earlier this year about the Connecticut Wildfire Crew. Renshaw has traveled to several states to help fight wildfires. He predicted this season would be "a pretty active one," and said the crew would be ready to deploy at a moment's notice.
Listen below as Renshaw describes managing wildfire:
This report includes information from The Associated Press.
