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Westport Firefighter Heading To California To Battle Wildfires

WESTPORT, Conn. — A Westport firefighter was leaving Tuesday, Aug. 4, as part of a Connecticut contingent deployed to help battle wildfires that are burning out of control in Northern California. 

Westport Assistant Fire Chief Michael Kronick

Westport Assistant Fire Chief Michael Kronick

Photo Credit: Westport Fire Department
Michael Kronick went to Montana in 2012 to fight wildfires there.

Michael Kronick went to Montana in 2012 to fight wildfires there.

Photo Credit: Westport Fire Department
Westport Assistant Fire Chief Michael Kronick

Westport Assistant Fire Chief Michael Kronick

Photo Credit: Westport Fire Department

Westport Assistant Fire Chief Michael Kronick is joining the 20-person team from the Connecticut Interstate Fire Crew, which is part of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.  

"Please join the Westport Fire Department in wishing a safe return of A.C. Kronick and the rest of the Connecticut Fire Crew," Westport's Assistant Chief Training Officer Robert Yost said in a statement.

Kronick was last deployed in 2013 to assist Canada with a stubborn fire in the northern part of the province of Quebec. He has also been deployed out West several times previously to battle fires, including to Montana in 2012.  

DEEP maintains a roster of staff and personnel from local fire departments who are certified to fight wildfires, which in turn allows Connecticut to participate in a reciprocal aid program operated by the U.S. Forest Service.  

California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency as the fire in the Lower Lake area, about 100 miles north of San Francisco, has spread to about 101 square miles.

Two dozen homes have been destroyed, and 13,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate about 5,500 in the area, according to ABC News. Other buildings such as barns, sheds and garages have also burned.

 

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