B.C. team sent to help fight fires in Northwest Territories

NEWS — The Wildfire Management Branch is sending additional personnel to the Northwest Territories to aid in fire suppression efforts, Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson said today.

An incident management team of 11 people will be joining the airtanker group deployed earlier in the week. The team is composed of wildfire personnel from around the province. The group will be briefed by officials in Yellowknife before being assigned to wildfires in the area.

The Northwest Territories is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons ever. One fire was burning out of control near the community of Kaksa. Residents had to evacuate. Another came close to a hydroelectric plant.

Current conditions in B.C. make it possible to share resources and the Wildfire Management Branch is glad to lend assistance whenever possible, said Thompson.

“Personnel can be called back at any time if they are needed in B.C.”

The request for assistance was made through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, which co-ordinates the mutual sharing of firefighting resources between B.C. and other jurisdictions. Costs associated with deployment are covered by the receiving jurisdictions under the Mutual Aid Resources Sharing Agreement.