VANCOUVER — Update: Help is on the way to aid BC Wildfire crews fight over 400 fires.
The BC Wildfire Service confirms 35 firefighters from Alberta and the Northwest Territories arrived yesterday while another 20 and 10 support staff from Saskatchewan are scheduled to arrive on Sunday.
Quebec is sending four water-skimming aircraft in the coming days while over 120 personnel from New Zealand and Mexico will arrive Monday.
A group of 25 support staff from Australia are also expected to arrive next week.
Earlier: The huge number of fires started this week by lightning has resulted in the B.C. Wildfire service looking for help outside the province to deal with them.
There are more than 450 fires throughout the province, and while the amount of ground burned this year pales in comparison with this time last year, the number of fires is way more, and there may not be enough crews to hit them all.
On its Facebook page last night, the Service said we’ve hit a Provincial Preparedness Level of 4 for the first time this year.
That’s when they start to look outside for help.
More lightning is possible, and there still is the prospect of so-called holdover fires, which smolder from lightning strikes sometimes for days before they spark.
