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VICTORIA – British Columbia is sending 68 forest fire fighters and specialists to
Alberta to help that province respond to elevated fire activity in the northern
portion, announced Forests and Range Minister Rich Coleman
today.
“Warm and dry weather
across the west has increased the fire danger in Western Canada,” said Coleman.
“We are pleased to be able to assist Alberta with their difficult wildfire
situation and remind everyone here at home to be safe with campfires and open
burning.”
Firefighters
and specialists from across B.C. will be deployed to Alberta for up to 19 days.
Northern Alberta has seen 50 new fires
start in the last 24 hours, five of which are listed as “out of control.” Wind is the element causing the most trouble
to these fires. The largest fire is over 1,200 hectares, burning in the Peace
River region, while there are also a few 50- to 75-hectare fires burning
throughout the region.
B.C.
crews being deployed come from the Northwest, Coastal and Kamloops fire
centres, and include three unit crews of 20 people each, who are dispatched to
larger fires where significant resources may be needed, seven division
supervisors, who are trained to supervise staff and equipment in work areas,
and one agency representative.
Since April, provincial fire crews have
responded to 196 fires throughout the province, over 95 per cent of which were caused by people. The fire danger
rating in B.C. is currently low to moderate, with a seasonal warming and drying
trend this weekend. Sufficient resources will remain in B.C. should fire
activity increase. Deployed crews may be recalled at any time should conditions
worsen.
This is the first deployment of British
Columbia fire crews this year. Last year, British Columbia sent a total of 707
personnel on 10 deployments to Australia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, the Yukon
and Alaska. Interprovincial deployments are co-ordinated through the Canadian
Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC). Costs of the deployment are being paid
by the requesting province.
The
public reports nearly half of all wildfires in B.C. Please continue to report
smoke and flames by calling toll-free 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on most cellular
networks.
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Note to media: Alberta website: www.srd.gov.ab.ca/wildfires
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contact: |
Communications Manager 250 387-5728 250 213-2972 (cell) |
Provincial Fire Information Officer 250 356-5249 250 889-7862 (cell) |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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