Australian, New Zealand crews join efforts to battle Canadian forest fires
Australian, New Zealand crews join efforts to battle Canadian forest fires
07 July 2015
published by www.thestar.com
Canada/Australia/New Zealand– All available crews have been committed to fight against British Columbias burning forests, a situation that has forced officials to triage call in reinforcements from as far away as Australia.
On Tuesday, 184 fires were burning across B.C., engaging more than 1,000 personnel and triggering evacuation orders and alerts, as well as air-quality advisories.
Kurtis Isfeld of the BC Wildfire Service said 23 of those fires had broken out Monday and the ministry predicts 30 new wildfires will start every day as dry conditions grow more acute.
The availability of resources is at a critical level, and any significant increase in fire load will be difficult for us to manage, he said.
As such, weve begun prioritizing fires based on human life and safety, property, critical values, critical habitat and timber, and before any of those the safety of our responders will come first and foremost.
He said all the services available crews are engaged around the province, including 622 contractors.
The government had already spent more than $90 million this season fighting the fires, well over the $63 million set aside in the budget.
Forests Minister Steve Thomson said 70 firefighters from Ontario were expected to arrive in B.C. on Tuesday, and the province will be getting help from Australian crews, while firefighters from New Zealand will likely head to Alberta.
Thomson said he didnt have specific numbers of how many firefighters would be coming from Australia and New Zealand.
Western Canada is incredibly active right now and weve certainly got a pretty dynamic situation here but it pales in comparison to whats going on in Saskatchewan in terms of their evacuations, said fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek.
About 9,000 people have been forced from their homes in more than 50 communities in the northern part of that province.
Emergency officials say a large wildfire threatening one of the biggest communities in the north was stable Tuesday, but they feared a shift in wind could change the situation.
The blaze, which had come within two kilometres of La Ronge, a town of 2,700 people, was one of hundreds burning across Western Canada.
Six hundred soldiers from Edmonton have joined the fire fight in Saskatchewan. Of those, 360 were to complete a condensed day of training before going to work on fire lines Wednesday.
Another 500 troops from Shilo, Man., were ready to be called in if needed.
Theyre just getting this one day quick refresher course to make sure when theyre out and in the fire zone they are operating safely, Defence Minister Jason Kenney said.
Smoke from two wildfires near Whistler, B.C., is contributing to very poor air quality in the town renowned for its outdoor activities.
Environment Canadas air quality health index lists the risk for Whistler at 10, and everyone, especially people with respiratory problems or related concerns, is being warned to stay indoors if possible.
Dr. James Lu of Vancouver Coastal Health said air-quality advisories are also still in place in the Sea-to-Sky corridor, the Sunshine Coast, Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley because of air pollution from the smoke.
He said the advisories will remain in effect, even though the air quality has improved.
Our primary concern from a public-health perspective is for certain sensitive or more vulnerable populations, and these are the very young, the very old and particularly those people with chronic lung-heart conditions and diabetes, he said.
Fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek said eight evacuation orders and alerts have been triggered because of the fires proximity to residences.
An evacuation alert was issued for properties along Highway 3A because of a fire east of Nelson, B.C., as well as another near Sechelt, where residents in 18 seasonal properties had to leave on Monday night.
