Federal assistance including military resources are being mobilized to help British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 fight against hundreds of wildfires, Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair announced Friday (July 14)
Blair said in a tweet he has approved a request for federal assistance to aid firefighters and emergency management personnel who are B次元官网网址渨orking tirelesslyB次元官网网址� in B.C.
The assistance will come from across federal departments and the Canadian Armed Forces, Blair said.
Bowinn Ma, B.C.B次元官网网址檚 minister of emergency management and climate readiness, said in a statement she is grateful to the federal government for its support.
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B次元官网网址淲e look forward to welcoming federal resources in B.C. to assist with wildfire response efforts as soon as possible,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭hey will work alongside the approximate 2,000 BC Wildfire Service personnel across our province, in addition to further international resources arriving this weekend.
B次元官网网址淲e will continue to use every tool necessary to keep people and communities safe.B次元官网网址�
Ma said Thursday she had made the request, while Blair said earlier that he expected B.C. to seek B次元官网网址渇airly substantiveB次元官网网址� assistance.
Blair said at the time that federal help could include military assistance for airlift evacuations from remote locations, as well as troops trained as firefighters who can B次元官网网址渕op upB次元官网网址� to keep blazes from reigniting.
The BC Wildfire Service said in a statement Friday that it has a B次元官网网址渓ong history of working in partnership with the federal government during particularly challenging wildfire seasons.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲e continue to work closely with the federal government and are grateful for the announcement that assistance has been mobilized,B次元官网网址� the statement said.
The service is reporting the total number of active fires in the province has topped 360, while the number of threatening or potentially damaging blazes has jumped to 17.
BlairB次元官网网址檚 announcement came as the Central Coast Regional District issued an evacuation order covering 20 kilometres along the Dean River Valley, about 50 kilometres north of Bella Coola.
The district initially issued an alert Wednesday, but upgraded that to an order Friday. The order affects the area along the Dean River Valley east from Kimsquit Bay, extending to approximately 36 kilometres along the Dean River Valley, including two commercial lodges.
The BC Wildfire Service says the Dean River fire was caused by lightning and is about three square kilometres in size.
It joins at least 12 other evacuation orders or alerts that have been issued since Tuesday in the province.
The Canadian Press
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