Canada: British Columbia seeks help of military, foreign countries to tackle record wildfires

Record wildfires have forced British Columbia to seek help from the military and foreign countries. Local reports published late Monday quoted the Canadian Armed Forces as saying that the first troops to help in British Columbia's wildfire fight have arrived in the province. They have come with more soldiers, helicopters and a Hercules plane, which is for deployment.

This development comes amid reports of the death of a second firefighter in recent days in Canada's wildfires. The British Columbia authorities have requested help from Canadian armed forces and an additional 1,000 international firefighters.

Reports mentioned that blazes have burned 1.2 million hectares of forest in the province so far this year, far above the 10-year average of 76,000 hectares.

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According to the forces, a reconnaissance team is on the ground in Prince George in central BC. The team is working with local authorities, including the BC Wildfire Service.

The province's Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said that the arrival of the personnel and equipment will be welcomed by firefighters and communities.

"We also know we can count on the Canadian Armed Forces to be able to assist in terms of a lot of the work that needs to be done," he said as quoted by local reports.

"While they don't necessarily fight the fires on the front lines, they can provide important work to be able to allow the firefighters to do the work they need to be doing on the ground," he added.

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Farnworth further said that the federal and BC governments, including his ministry, the military and the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) are currently developing a deployment plan "in terms of where is the best place and where the need is required".

The statement issued by the armed forces said that in addition to the reconnaissance team deployed on Sunday, two companies of soldiers from 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group based in Edmonton will be available "to assist and enable firefighting."

"The first company will likely be deploying to the Burns Lake area, at the Northwest Fire Centre, and the second will likely deploy to Vanderhoof, at the Prince George Fire Centre," the statement noted.

The report mentioned that the Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft will support firefighting mobility and logistics, as well as emergency evacuations. Two CH-146 Griffon Helicopters from 408 Squadron will be deployed, as will a CC-130J Hercules from 8 Wing Trenton if necessary.

(With inputs from agencies)

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