Canadian military and U.S. personnel arrive in B.C., as wildfires continue to rage

Cars and trucks travel on a small town street as a fire plume over a mountain range can be seen in the near distance.
A wildfire plume can be seen in Smithers from a fire burning 80 km away near Ft. Babine. Photo credit: Dan Mesec
Daniel Mesec - CICK - SmithersBC | 18-07-2023
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Wildfires continue to rage across the province, and one of the epicentres is now in the Central Interior Caribou Region as well as the Nadine region and southern parts of the northwest fires centre. 

Currently there are more than 370 fires active. At least 23 are fires of note, with four of those in the Northwest Fire Centre, south and west of Burns Lake. 

Evacuation alerts and orders are still in place for many communities. The Hazeltons and parts of the Kispiox valley are still on evacuation alert, while Fort Babine has been completely evacuated. There are also evacuation alerts east of Houston and south near the Peacock creek wildfire. 

Although cooler temperatures in some parts of the region helped over the weekend, hot and dry conditions will return this week. 

However, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) announced additional Australian and American resources arrived in B.C. over the weekend, as well as Coast Guard and Canadian Armed Forces.

This is in additions to approximately 2,000 BCWS members and more than 180 international resources already in B.C. 

"So far this year, more than 350 international personnel have assisted in B.C.," said Cliff Chapman, Operations Director for the BCWS. "We have a long history of working closely with our international and federal partners during difficult wildfire seasons and are grateful for their support."

Listen to the full episode on CICK News below.