A group of New Hampshire firefighters will be heading west this weekend to help in the battle against wildfires in the Rocky Mountains.
The crew of 20 includes full-time and volunteer firefighters from across the state. They’ll be gone for two weeks, likely assigned to fires in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.
Douglas Minor, a Forest Ranger with the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands, says there are seven large active wildfires in that area.
“A lot of the firefighters feel so strongly about doing this – they enjoy being able to help out in a time of need and we know at some point chances are the tables may be turned and we would be on the requesting side for additional resources,” Minor said.
This isn’t the first time New Hampshire has been called to help out across the country. Minor says in the past five years, the Granite State has sent about 2 to 3 crews a year.
Wildfires are on the rise nationally. According to Minor, the 10-year average for fires in the U.S. is around 34,000 to 35,000 fire incidents per yea,r burning about 2.3 million acres. This year already has seen 31,000 fires with 3.1 million acres burned.
