A view of the Nohomin Creek fire looking west from across the Fraser Canyon on July 21. (Photo via BC Wildfire Service)
Federal assistance including military resources are being mobilized to help British Columbia’s fight against hundreds of wildfires, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair announced Friday.
Blair said in a tweet he has approved a request for federal assistance to aid firefighters and emergency management personnel who are “working tirelessly” in B.C.
The assistance will come from across federal departments and the Canadian Armed Forces, Blair said.
Firefighters and emergency management personnel in British Columbia are working tirelessly to manage the wildfires.
To aid their efforts, we have now approved a Request for Federal Assistance and we’re mobilizing resources from across federal departments and @CanadianForces.
— Bill Blair (@BillBlair) July 14, 2023
B.C.’s Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Bowinn Ma said Thursday she had made the request, while Blair said earlier that he expected B.C. to seek “fairly substantive” 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 “mop up” to keep blazes from reigniting.
The BC Wildfire 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.
