By CKPG Today

Wildfires

BC Wildfire Service puts out call for 1,000 more firefighting personnel

Jul 13, 2023 | 4:15 PM

VANDERHOOF — With close to 400 active wildfires currently burning in British Columbia, the BC Wildfire Service has put out the call for 1,000 more international firefighters to help out.

This on top of the 200-300 more staff due to arrive soon from Australia, Mexico and the United States.

During a teleconference Thursday, the BC Wildfire Service says the extra staff would allow for more “rest and recovery time” for current staff already burned out from the severity of the season so far.

To put that point into perspective, they said since the wildfire season began on April 1, over 1.2 million hectares of forest has been burned – way above the 10-year average of 76,000 hectares burnt for this time of year.

The wildfire service said from July 7-9 alone, there were 51,000 lightning strikes, leading to many fires.

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With very little precipitation in the forecast other than some “scattered showers” expected late this weekend into early next week, they expect things to become more challenging in the both the Prince George and Northwest fire centres.

They called the situation “dire,” with more aggressive wildfire activity expected. The Wildfire Service said one of their biggest challenges has been the smoke, making fire detection “difficult.” To that end, they thanked the public for all the tips they’ve sent in so far this year. If you see a fire dial *5555 from your cellphone.