B.C. firefighters are being deployed to assist Alberta with the wildfires that have taken over the northern region of the province.
Of the 276 firefighters going, 20 are from the Northwest Fire Centre.
The #BCWildfire Service will be supplying @AlbertaWildfire with 267 BCWS personnel to assist with its increasing wildfire threat. To all those responding to wildfires in Alberta, we wish you safety and success! More info: https://t.co/lSFIgNC2pL
— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) May 21, 2019
Fire Information Officer, Kyla Fraser said it is important for the provinces to band together.
“Given that the last two years here in B.C. have been some of the worst wildfire seasons on record we certainly understand the importance of sharing firefighting resources and just giving assistance to other provinces in this time of need.”
Fraser said the danger rating map for Alberta shows the entire northern half of the province in an Extreme Fire Danger Rating. The largest fire in Alberta is close to 80,000 hectares in size.
“We don’t have a timeline right now but the longest they can be deployed out of province is for 19 days, but they can be called back at any time if we have a situation worsening in B.C. and we need them.
Upon arrival, firefighters will be spread out throughout the province to help where needed.