New firefighting personnel on the way to assist in B.C.
By Contributor
Due to elevated wildfire activity in British Columbia, Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson was able to confirm that 70 personnel will be arriving from Ontario to assist with B.C.’s firefighting efforts.
Sixty-three sustained-action firefighters and seven other specialized personnel from Ontario will arrive in Abbotsford and Cranbrook today. They will be deployed throughout the Coastal Fire Centre and Southeast Fire Centre, based on current fire activity and projected need. In addition, two amphibious skimming aircraft, one birddog aircraft and an air attack officer from Ontario will arrive in Kamloops today. These requests for assistance were made through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, which co-ordinates the mutual sharing of firefighting resources between B.C. and other Canadian jurisdictions. Costs associated with these requests will be covered by B.C. under the Mutual Aid Resources Sharing Agreement, which allows for the movement of firefighting resources throughout Canada.
Update on fire activity and impacts
There were 23 new fires in B.C. yesterday. The Province is cautioning all British Columbians to be diligent with fire safety and report all wildfires to authorities. There are now 184 active fires within the province (f these, 18 are active fires of note), with eight evacuation alerts/orders currently in effect. The BC Wildfire Service has responded to 887 wildfires so far this season.
As of July 7, approximately 40 homes in the province were on Evacuation Order with approximately 920 homes on Evacuation Alert. These numbers will fluctuate as orders and alerts are put into place and/or rescinded. Evacuation Orders currently exist in the following areas: Boulder Creek Wildfire, northwest of Pemberton Meadows; Sechelt Mine fire, issued for Carlson Point, affecting 18 homes; One home in Harrogate, north of Highway 95 near Brisco Evacuation Alerts exist in these areas: Tsulquate Creek Fire, northwest of Port Hardy; Sitkum Creek Fire, north of Kootenay Lake, between Sitkum and Duhamel Creeks; East of Lake Koocanusa, east of Baynes Lake and Highway 93; Harrogate, north of Highway 95, between Harrogate and Brisco; Petitot River fire, northeast of Fort Nelson For all current Evacuation Alerts and Orders in B.C., see: www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca
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