More than 200 B.C. firefighters sent to Alberta to battle wildfires

The B.C. Wildfire Service, responding to a request for assistance, is deploying personnel to Alberta, where crews are battling a raging wildfire that has displaced thousands.

There are 30 active fires burning in Alberta. One out-of-control blaze near High Level, a town 7 1/2 hours north of Edmonton, has forced more than 4,000 residents to flee their homes. The Chuckegg Creek fire, just five kilometres south of High Level, has consumed about 690 square kilometres of forest.

Reception centres have been set up in Slave Lake, High Prairie, Grande Prairie and the Misery Mountain Ski Resort to accommodate High Level evacuees.

The B.C. Wildfire Service says a total of 230 firefighters, three agency representatives, 14 supervisors and a 19-person incident management team will be sent to Alberta on Wednesday and Thursday to help where they’re needed.

The request for assistance was made through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, which co-ordinates the mutual sharing of firefighting resources between B.C. and other jurisdictions. Alberta, the jurisdiction that made the request, will cover all associated costs.

“The B.C. Wildfire Service recognizes the importance of sharing firefighting resources given the invaluable assistance Alberta has provided to B.C. during the last two wildfire seasons, which were the worst in the province’s history,” B.C. Wildfire Services spokeswoman Kyla Fraser said in a statement.

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There are currently 39 active fires burning in B.C. but none that the wildfire service considers “wildfires of note,” meaning fires that are highly visible or that pose a potential threat to public safety.

“Considering the current and forecasted fire situation in British Columbia, sufficient personnel and resources remain in the province to respond appropriately to any fire activity here,” Fraser said.

Fire crews can be deployed out-of-province for up to 19 days, but can be recalled at any time.