HARTFORD, Conn. - Connecticut firefighters are being deployed north of the border to help stop the spread of fires destroying the Canadian forest area.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced Monday that 13 firefighters from the state's Department of Environmental Protection will help put out flames in La Tuque, a small village located about 100 miles away from Quebec City. They will join colleagues from Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and other Canadian provinces.

The Canadian province has had more than 300 wildfires this year, burning more than 365,000 acres of forest land. Human activities and lightning strikes are said to be the leading causes for the fires.

The firefighters will leave for Quebec on Tuesday and could be there for up to two weeks.

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