Maine crews return from fighting Quebec forest fires

Two Maine crews returned Saturday from battling forest fires in Quebec.

On June 14, eight forest rangers and one forester from the Maine Department of Conservation were sent to Baie Comeau, Quebec, which is about 430 miles north of Quebec City. For two weeks the crew fought several forest fires sparked by lightning.

Thirteen civilian firefighters from northern Maine also were part of the crew.

They were scheduled to return to Presque Isle and Bangor on Saturday.

Members of the fire crew were Mike Daigle, Sprague Wise, Dustin Pickering, Kevin Somers, John Cousins, Alicia Rautenberg, Sam Heffner and Ken Canfield. Daigle led the crew.

Also Saturday, Maine Forest Service Ranger Brad Bucknell was scheduled to return to Manchester, N.H., after helping fight several northern Quebec forest fires during the past two weeks. Two other civilian Maine firefighters accompanied Bucknell on the mission.

The crews were mobilized as part of the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Commission, an agreement among New England states, the national forests in New England and the Canadian provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.