Almost 200 wildfires are currently raging across the province, and areas on the mainland are calling on reinforcements from Vancouver Island for backup.
Saanich Fire Department has sent a structure protection engine plus crew to a fire near 100 Mile House in the interior, they announced in a tweet on Saturday.
According to the department’s deputy fire chief, Dan Wood, Saanich’s municipal firefighters have received training to aid BC Wildfire.
This particular wildifre is near Deka Lake and has estimated size of 300 hectares – it’s also suspected to have been caused by lightning, says the BC Wildfire Service.
Saanich Fire has deployed a structure protection Engine and crew to the #100MileHouse area in support of #BCWildfire operations.
@BC_FireSafety @BCGovFireInfo #dekalake #support pic.twitter.com/GFCF5CU4qd— Saanich Fire Department (@SaanichFire) July 3, 2021
Town of Sidney Fire Department has similarly extended a helping hand, posting on social media that they have sent their Engine 1 to assist with structure protection at Cariboo Fire Centre.
Sidney Engine 1 has been tasked to assist with structure protection in the Caribou Fire Centre. Be safe and take care. @SidneyVFire @townofsidneybc pic.twitter.com/FaaPh4jQc9
— SidneyVFire (@SidneyVFire) July 3, 2021
While the fire crews has been sent to the mainland, the fire risk on Vancouver Island could change quickly, causing some concern.
According to the BC Wildfire Service’s monitoring dashboard, there are 197 active fires in the province, 43 of which began in the last two days alone.
BC has formally requested assistance from the Government of Canada as it battles the wildfire situation.
Canadian Armed Forces may be deployed to assist with transporting personnel and supplies, as well as evacuation of affected areas, if required.
