Conn. firefighters head to Canada to battle wildfires

Marlborough, Conn. (WTNH) - Some Connecticut firefighters are heading to Canada today to help fight wildfires.

The 15 specially trained members of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection who are about to go protect Quebec.

"We have a fire compact - mutual aid arrangements," DEP Forest Fire Supervisor Ralph Scarpino said. "Quebec's in a pretty serious fire situation right now and so they're asking for some additional resources."

The group took off from an assembly area in Marlborough Tuesday morning. They will meet up with firefighters from several northeast states and Canadian provinces in New Hampshire, and then fly to the fire area in Canada.

DEP Firefighter Eric Gileau said his family is nervous about him going off to do such dangerous work, "but it's exciting too because it's an opportunity to go and see a different part of the country...."

"I understand there are a lot of fires that have been burning for quite a while up there," DEP Firefighter Rick Scalora said. "We'll see what we can do to help."

The fires have been burning for quite a while. Since late May, actually. The flames consumed more than 350,000 acres so far, making so much smoke that at times it's drifted down into Connecticut.

The bus ride is the first leg of a mission that right now is scheduled to keep these firefighters away from home for at least two weeks.

"It's going to be a tough time for the family right now, but this is what we do and it's just the way the firefighter life is," Scalora said.

When asked if Connecticut needs the firefighters here at home, one supervisor said probably not because we've had plenty of rain recently and the fire danger is low.