SA sends more firefighters as Canada experiences 'worst wildfire season’

About 215 South African firefighters will fly to Canada on Friday as that country experiences its “worst” wildfire season.

“Canada is experiencing its worst wildfire season in their history,” said forestry, fisheries and environment minister Barbara Creecy.

She said the firefighters were the fourth group to be sent to the country since June.

A total of 860 South African firefighters and management have been deployed to Canada this year.

The latest group will battle blazes in British Columbia, where wildfires worsened this week and forced many people to evacuate their homes.

According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, the country experienced 5,876 fires this year, leaving thousands of people displaced. 

Creecy said Canadian officials requested more manpower to help fight the fires.

“Our firefighters were lauded for their energy, strong work ethic and safety measures on the fire line as well as for the way they have acclimatised to conditions in Canada, where wildland firefighting conditions are different from what they are used to.”

Canada's emergency preparedness minister Harjit Sajjan described the wildfires as “aggressive”.

“British Columbians are grappling with the devastation and distress caused by aggressive wildfires across the province. Thousands have been forced to evacuate and many have lost their homes and personal belongings.

“The government of Canada is mobilising all available federal resources to combat the wildfires and bring the situation under control,” Sajjan said.

Some firefighters have lost their lives while on duty during the wildfire season.

TimesLIVE