HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia's Forestry Department is dispatching crews to Ontario and Quebec to fight fires in those provinces.

A 20-person crew is headed to Sudbury in northern Ontario, and four staff are going to Quebec -- along with 50,000 feet of hose.

The 20-person crew, which comprises five initial-attack crews, were slated to leave Wednesday, and the Quebec crew is expected to leave Thursday.

Nova Scotia received the request for help through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

Nova Scotia is a member of the Canadian Mutual Aid Resource Sharing Agreement, established in the early 1980s, which ensures all provinces and territories will receive help if forest fires become too big to handle.

The affected province covers the costs of those sending help.