The Victoria Fire Department sent six of its firefighters over to Fort St. James to help combat wildfires on Wednesday.
The crew consists of Ross Isherwood, Murray Chunyk, Jed Hyde, Paul Hicke, Trevor Partlow and Luke Lampard, who traveled with both a structural fire fighting engine and a 2,500-gallon water tender vehicle.
The firefighters left after a call was put out by the B.C. Fire Commissioner for aid as wildfires spread throughout the province.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e catching up to the issue of what we experienced last year,B次元官网网址� said Victoria Fire Chief Paul Bruce. B次元官网网址淭his year weB次元官网网址檙e a little more proactive in requesting and deploying resources.B次元官网网址�
Still, Bruce said that this is only just the beginning.
B次元官网网址淭he worse is potentially yet to come,B次元官网网址� he said, B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檒l see how this next week plays out.B次元官网网址�
At the time of deployment, the fire at Fort St. James was around 50,000 hectares, with most of the town area on evacuation alert, with 1,600 residents urged to evacuate.
Nearby, Shovel Lake was experiencing a fire of about 35,000 hectares, and a third smaller fire at Francois Lake hadnB次元官网网址檛 yet been addressed, something that Bruce said is simply a matter or prioritizing.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 all about resource management, and thatB次元官网网址檚 something we need to look at and update almost hourly,B次元官网网址� he said.
The firefighters and fire engines were the first resources Victoria sent to the Interior this season, and also the same amount they were able to put forward last year.
B次元官网网址淲hen theyB次元官网网址檙e seeking resources from the Island, itB次元官网网址檚 a real indicator of how dire the situation is,B次元官网网址� Bruce said. B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 want to leave an area unprotected.B次元官网网址�
At the time of deployment there was no determined time limit of how long the Victoria firefighters would be out, but it was estimated at least seven to 10 days.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e hopeful that resources can get a good grip on the fire situation across the province,B次元官网网址� Bruce said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e also got our fingers crossed hoping that weB次元官网网址檒l get a little rain.B次元官网网址�
Firefighters from across the region have also traveled to the Interior to help, including two firefighters from Sooke, along with a Sooke fire engine, one from the Langford Fire Rescue and one from the Metchosin Fire Department were sent up to Fort St. James. Four firefighters from View Royal will head out on Friday morning, along with a truck, and fire chiefs from both Metchosin and View Royal will also head out shortly.
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