The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced Wednesday that a 20-person fire crew will be departing early Thursday from DEEP Eastern District Headquarters in Marlborough to assist the U.S. Forest Service in fighting wildfires in Montana. 

The crew — consisting of seven certified and trained DEEP staff members and 13 local firefighters — will arrive in Marlborough starting at 4 a.m. for an estimated 5:30 a.m. transport and mobilization out of the Manchester–Boston Regional Airport in New Hampshire, DEEP said in a news release.

This is the second 20-person crew Connecticut is sending this summer.

The crew will be working in western Montana, which along with other western states and Alaska is experiencing a record-breaking wildfire season, DEEP said. 

More than 30,000 trained wildland firefighters from across the nation have responded to fires that have burned over eight million acres of forestland so far this year.

On Aug. 4, a Connecticut fire crew was sent to the River Complex area in northern California because of extensive and severe fires that burned approximately 43,000 acres, DEEP said.

DEEP said it maintains a roster of agency staff members and personnel from local fire departments who have been certified to fight forest or wildfires.

Crew members must complete a rigorous training program and participate in an annual physical work capacity test and refresher training.

Connecticut maintains this firefighting capability to participate in a reciprocal aid program operated by the forest service.

Under this program, trained personnel from other parts of the country are available to assist Connecticut in the event of a fire emergency or other natural disaster, in return for the support of Connecticut personnel when needed, DEEP said.