'This is what we sign up for': 5 firefighters from New Hampshire heading to Canada to battle wildfires
Firefighters are members of Northeast Forest Fire Protection Compact
Firefighters are members of Northeast Forest Fire Protection Compact
Firefighters are members of Northeast Forest Fire Protection Compact
Firefighters from New Hampshire are preparing to help battle the wildfires ravaging the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
"Our province is experiencing tremendous trauma. It's an incredibly difficult time,” said Tim Houston, premier of Nova Scotia.
Houston said there are 16 fires in the province, with four of them out of control.
He said there are 200 destroyed homes and almost 20,000 scarred and exhausted Nova Scotians.
"There are many stories around the province of people stepping up,” Houston said.
Five heroes are from New Hampshire.
They're members of the Northeast Forest Fire Protection Compact.
“They will be deployed out into the woods, out into the forest where the fire is burning, and they'll either be digging fire lines or they'll be directly attacking hot areas of the fire to put the fire completely,” said Steven Sherman, chief of the New Hampshire Forest Protection Bureau.
Sherman said what's unique about these fires is the intensity they're burning and how close they are to communities.
He said the compact is sending 20 firefighters to work for 14 days.
“This is what we sign up for. We want to go help our neighbors when they need it, whether it's in New Hampshire, in the United States or our Canadian partners,” Sherman said. “So we'll go up there, will help them if we ever need help here in New Hampshire, they'll quickly turn around and do the same thing to help us out.”
Sherman said some homes have been impacted by these fires, so some work might need to be done to remove brush or fuels nearby.
Sherman said these heroes should return to New Hampshire around June 20.