Firefighting teams from Ontario and New Brunswick are arriving in British Columbia to assist with devastating wildfires.
The BC Wildfire Service says the nearly 100 out-of-province members must pass COVID-19 safety checks before being sent into the field.
Public Safety Canada also says it has committed the Armed Forces for airlift support to carry crews, supplies and equipment in and out of fire zones and to assist with emergency evacuations if needed.
The wildfire service says 196 active wildfires are currently burning in B.C., with at least 40 sparked over the weekend.
Evacuation orders are in place because of five of those wildfires, including one near Lytton, where a fire that destroyed much of the village last Wednesday covers 76 square kilometres but didn’t grow significantly Sunday.
Evacuations slow as B.C. welcomes out-of-province firefighters to help
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A motorist watches from a pullout on the Trans-Canada Highway as a wildfire burns on the side of a mountain in Lytton, B.C., Thursday, July 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Emergency response staff who are charged with supporting residents threatened by some of British Columbia’s largest wildfires paused for a breath Monday following several turbulent days.
Debbie Sell, information officer for the Thompson-Nicola Regional District’s emergency operations centre, said evacuation alerts and orders remained generally static, indicating the fires hadn’t moved closer to residential areas.
I m happy to report that it has been relatively quiet this morning in the emergency operations centre, meaning that it hasn t been necessary to expand orders and alerts, Sell said Monday.
The break has been a relief, but of course staff know it can easily ramp up again, she said. It kind of goes in fits and starts, as the fires tick off then of course we need to get people out of harm s way as quickly as possible.
The centre is managing an area that includes Lytton, B.C., which was razed by a wildfire last week after three days of record-setting heat, as well as four other major wildfires still considered out of control. It s one of several co-ordinating bodies stickhandling the response to what is shaping up to be another active wildfire season in British Columbia.
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Debbie Sell, information officer for the Thompson-Nicola Regional District’s emergency operations centre, said evacuation alerts and orders remained generally static, indicating the fires hadn’t moved closer to residential areas.
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“I’m happy to report that it has been relatively quiet this morning in the emergency operations centre, meaning that it hasn’t been necessary to expand orders and alerts,” Sell said Monday.
The break has been a relief, but of course it could easily ramp up again, she said.
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