MA Red Cross volunteers head to Colorado

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Thousands have been evacuated from Colorado but some disaster relief workers from Western Massachusetts are heading into the disaster zone.

They're the most destructive fires in Colorado history. Two people have been killed and more than were 30,000 evacuated and while Massachusetts is more than 2,000 miles away, the fires will be hitting close to home for this group of volunteers.

Three volunteers with the Pioneer Valley Red Cross are going right into a disaster zone and they’re looking forward to lending a hand.

“It does create a little anxiety, you never know what you're going into, you don't know what the situation is, we don't know where we're staying we don't know much of anything so you have to have a little adventurous spirit to do this,” Donna McKinney told 22news.

The plan is that the volunteers will be gone for 2 weeks and just these few bags is all they're bringing with them.

Some have been volunteers for years, but this is an opportunity for them to give back after being on the receiving end of the help just last year.

“Because in our case it's a chance to give back. Last year the deployment was to help us out in Springfield this year we're paying back and going someplace else to help them out, it's a big partnership for us,” Jerry Imhoff told 22News.

The fires in Colorado have scorched hundreds of square miles and while the images are astonishing, nothing will compare to the disaster first hand.

“Pictures just never can tell you the whole story and it is kind of unbelievable when you stand there and look at the devastation,” Donna McKinney said.

Both Donna and Jerry said their adrenaline was running high, but are confident they've been well trained and are looking forward to helping.