Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
August 22, 2014 - 2:25 PM
KAMLOOPS - Another wave of relief is on the way as the Wildfire Management Branch welcomes 90 more out-of-province fire personnel to B.C. this weekend to help battle 162 active fires across B.C.
Many wildfires are still burning in B.C. even as firebans are being lifted locally. To make sure fire crews get their manditory days off, sixty sustained action firefighters and about 30 additional firefighters from Ontario and Alberta will arrive in Prince George where they'll be briefed and dispatched to where they're needed.
Even though the wildfire risk rating has been lowered locally, the Thompson-Okanagan still still has a few active fires, including Heffley Creek, Smith Creek and Apex Mountain. A few smaller new fires are burning but there are no large fires of note. All but one fires of note raging in B.C. are north of the Kamloops Fire District. One fire of note is burning north of Cranbrook.
The highly trained, Type 1 fire crews and specialized personnel will perform key functions battling wildfires during this elevated period of activity. They were requested through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre that allows for the sharing of resources between provinces and territories in Canada.
Two dispatchers from Alaska will arrive Aug. 20 to help through the Northwest Compact. This allows for mutual resource sharing between B.C., Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Montana, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
The fresh firefighters arriving this weekend will join 360 other out-of-province personnel and more than 1,350 provincial staff, 650 B.C. contractors, and 75 personnel from Australia already engaged in fire response efforts. They could remain in B.C. for up to 14 days and the cost to bring them here will be covered by the province.
To report a wildfire, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on your cellphone. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, go to: www.bcwildfire.ca
You can also follow the latest wildfire news:
* On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
* On Facebook at: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo
News from © iNFOnews, 2014