Mississippi sending firefighters to help Colorado wildfires
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi is sending 20 firefighters to help battle wildfires in Colorado.
News outlets report the state Forestry Commission is deploying the firefighters who leave Friday morning for Colorado. Several wildfires have spread across Colorado over the past month and forced many people to evacuate.
WLBT-TV quotes State Forester Charlie Morgan as saying the firefighters will join federal and state efforts in fighting the wildfires. They will return to Mississippi in roughly two weeks.
Morgan says the crews are wildland firefighters who work in extreme conditions protecting people, homes and forestland. They are trained to contain fires by constructing a fire line with hand tools.