Wildfire crews arrive in B.C. from Mexico as hot, dry conditions persist
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth welcomed Mexican firefighters Saturday
The British Columbia government welcomed 100 firefighters from Mexico on Saturday to help combat hundreds of wildfires raging across the province.
B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth greeted the Mexican firefighters in Abbotsford and provided an update on the province's wildfire situation.
Farnworth said difficult fire conditions will persist in B.C.'s Interior for the foreseeable future.
"We will see the other side of this fire season," he said.
There are currently 3,320 firefighters in B.C., including 94 from out of province.
Nearly 5,000 properties remain under evacuation order and more than 16,000 are under evacuation alert over the weekend as hundreds of fires burn across the province, some fuelled by consistently warm temperatures and strong winds.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says there are 258 blazes across the province as of Saturday morning, most of them in the Kamloops fire district in the B.C. Interior.
That's down from 275 fires reported Friday and about 300 earlier in the week.
'No relief in sight'
On Thursday, the wildfire service said conditions are extremely dry in the southern half of the province and there is "no relief in sight."
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Emergency Operations Centre continues to monitor some wildfires of note in the area, including the Nk'Mip Creek, Thomas Creek and Brenda Creek wildfires near Oliver and Osoyoos.
On Saturday morning, the district expanded an evacuation order for two properties because of the Nk'Mip Creek wildfire.
The district also said the Osoyoos Indian Band had rescinded an evacuation order and instead issued an evacuation alert for six properties.
Environment Canada has issued a special air-quality statement for nearly a quarter of B.C., in the southeast, because of smoke from the wildfires.
Firefighters from Mexico land in B.C., heading to the Interior soon
A contingent of 100 Mexican firefighters landed in B.C. today, offering much-needed aid to ongoing efforts.
"These highly trained crews will be on hand for 30 days working shoulder to shoulder with our wildfire service crews," solicitor general Mike Farnworth said.
"We can't thank these men and women enough for heeding our call for support."
After clearing customs, the Mexican firefighters are heading to a nearby air tanker base to undergo rapid COVID-19 testing and meet with BC wildfire representatives. Then they will travel to the interior, to get to work.
"The province will continue to do everything possible, as we have from the start to source additional firefighting resources to protect communities," Farnworth said.
Additionally, members of the Canadian Armed Forces arrived in Vernon to debrief and receive their tasks and more are arriving midweek.
It's expected that there will be 350 armed forces members on hand.
"We also have our province crews and resources from Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Parks Canada," he said.
"The details of these deployments are being finalized now and more information will be available in the coming days."
Deployments, he said, are coordinated through the Interagency Fire Center Winnipeg, and they are stretched this year given the number of wildfires in both Canada and the U.S.
Farnworth said difficult fire behavior and conditions throughout the Central and Southern interior are expected to persist for the foreseeable future, given the weather expected in the days ahead.
That is also taxing resources to house those who have been evacuated.
"In Kamloops hotel space is limited and Kamloops is not able at this point to take any more evacuees, but there are 21 reception centers around the province that are able to take evacuees," he said.
"We've been working with local governments to ensure that there is space in communities. So for example, while there may not be space in Kamloops .... there are places in Kelowna and Prince George, Williams Lake and Spences bridge, for example."
He said there are also reception centers as far away as Chilliwack.
"We are working with communities to ensure that there is there enough space," he said.
Farnworth added that there are currently 4,100 people evacuated due to wildfires in B.C.
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