Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Forest rangers and volunteer firefighters from throughout the state left Northern Maine Regional Airport May 28, bound for Quebec where the group will spend about two weeks helping battle a forest fire there.
Members of the Maine Forest Service and firefighter volunteers departed from Presque Isle May 28, bound for Quebec to aid firefighters who’ve been battling a large forest fire in a heavily-wooded area. Volunteers from Aroostook County joined those from other parts of the state to make the trek on Friday. Making the trip were, at front left, Forest Ranger Mike Daigle of St. Agatha, serving as crew boss; joined by the following in no particular order: John Gagnon, firefighter volunteer; Shawn Madore, Eagle Lake fire chief; Forest Ranger Kevin Somers, of Island Falls; and firefighter volunteers Chad Dow, Matt Cannon of the Limestone Fire Department, Presque Isle Firefighter Brandon Greaves and Derik Pelletier.
“In response to several large forest fires currently burning in the northeastern province of Quebec Canada, The Maine Forest Service is mobilizing a 21-person wildland fire crew. The crew, led by MFS Forest Ranger Mike Daigle (based out of Fort Kent) is comprised of six forest rangers and 15 civilian wildland firefighters,” said Kent Nelson, fire prevention specialist, Forest Protection Division, Maine Forest Service.
In the past, Nelson said, more forest rangers have been sent with this type of crew, but with the current dry conditions in most of Maine, rangers area needed to provide their expertise on fires within the state.
“The crew is being sent in support of the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Commission (aka “the Compact”), which covers the seven New England states, the New England National Forests and four neighboring provinces of Canada,” he explained.
The other members of the wildland firefighting crew, according to Nelson, are civilian wildland firefighters from central, Downeast and northern Maine.
“All have been trained by the Maine Forest Service and recently completed a strenuous physical fitness test. The crew is expected to be mobilized for two weeks,” said Nelson.
Part of the crew left Bangor International Airport Friday morning, arriving later that morning at Presque Isle’s airport where the remainder of the crew members were picked up, before heading to Canada.
Nelson said most of the fires were caused by lightning from the recent thunderstorms and have been active due to the record-breaking high temperatures and windy conditions.
“Within the last 36 hours, 14 new fires have been found,” said Nelson in a May 27 statement. “The exact location of the fires is not available at this time, but the area is referred to as ‘Latuque’ and is sparsely populated.”
Volunteers include several individuals from Aroostook County.
“We have several volunteers from Aroostook making the trip. They are: Matt Cannon, Limestone; Shawn Madore and Derik Pelletier, Eagle Lake; John Gagnon, Van Buren; Chad Dow, Bridgewater; and Brandon Greaves (a Presque Isle firefighter), Littleton,” said Kevin Somers, a forest ranger from Island Falls.
Forest Ranger Mike Daigle, of St. Agatha, will serve as crew boss. He said the group has a “14-day online contract.”
“It may be less than but not more than 14 days, unless there’s prior approval,” said Daigle. “We have a crew of 15 civilians and six rangers. Normally there are more rangers, but due to dry conditions in the state, we limited it to six.”
MFS officials posted a ‘red flag’ warning over the weekend, citing “gusty winds and low relative humidity” have created “dangerous conditions that could allow wildfires to spread rapidly.
“The Maine Forest Service and the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the entire state on Saturday (www.erh.noaa.gov/car/local_hazards.php). It was based on weather conditions and the recent lack of precipitation in most areas,” said Nelson. “The fire danger rating in most of Maine is considered ‘very high’ (www.maineburnpermit.com).”
