Central Saanich firefighters answer call to fight Fort St. John wildfire
The Central Saanich Fire Department has sent two experienced firefighters and a water tender to the Fort St. John area to help crews working to extinguish the Stoddart Creek fire burning in northeastern B.C.
The fire department’s chief says he got the call from the Prince George Fire Centre on May 14. He said the emergency operations centre asked the Saanich Peninsula community to send one of its water tenders trucks.
"We were able to scramble a crew on short notice," said Chief Kenn Mount. "We normally get called for structural defence type work so they’ll likely become part of a strike team or a task force that will be doing water shuttle operations."
Mount says it is very early in the season to get a call from the province for firefighting resources.
The Stoddart Creek fire is estimated to be more than 13,000 hectares and is considered out of control.
Mount says the department is sending one of its senior fire captains and an experienced firefighter to crew the tender.
“They have the training and qualifications to go,” said Mount. “Now we’re in the mode of preparing more members because they will probably go on a 14-day deployment.”
Mount says once the firefighters arrive in the Fort St. John area they will be self-sufficient for the first 48 to 72 hours. He says he expects they will be living in camps and working long hours.
“If these type of conditions and weather are maintained we’ll likely be swapping out crews in a couple of weeks,” he added.
Mount says supporting B.C. firefighters battling wildfires is a reciprocal exchange in which the department has actively participated.
“We tend to rely on our neighbours quite a bit with mutual-aid agreements but sometimes larger scale incidents require resources from the province,” said Mount. “The time could come at some point where departments we’re helping are coming to help us."
Mount says he expects the Central Saanich firefighters to arrive in the Fort St. John area on Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING 122 active wildfires burning across Canada, 32 considered 'out of control'
The 2024 wildfire season has begun, and it's shaping up to follow last year's unprecedented destruction in kind, with thousands of square kilometres already consumed.
B.C. parents sentenced to 15 years for death of 6-year-old boy
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has sentenced the mother and stepfather of a six-year-old boy who died from blunt-force trauma in 2018 to 15 years in prison.
Veteran TSN sportscaster Darren Dutchyshen has died
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren 'Dutch' Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57. His family says 'he passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.'
Miller scores late as Canucks grind out 3-2 win over Oilers in Game 5
J.T. Miller scored in the final minute of the game and the Vancouver Canucks came back for a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series Thursday.
Think twice before sharing 'heartbreaking' social media posts, RCMP warn
Mounties in B.C. are urging people to think twice before sharing "heartbreaking posts" on social media.
Police issue Canada-wide warrant for Regina homicide suspect
Police have issued a Canada-wide warrant for a man wanted in a homicide which occurred in Regina on May 12.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.
Kevin Spacey receives star support as he fights to get his career back
Kevin Spacey is pushing back on the 'rush to judgment' against him and is being backed by some big names as he seeks to reclaim his acting career.
Speaker cuts ties with Sask. Party, alleges he faced threats, harassment from gov't MLAs
The Speaker of the Saskatchewan Legislature Randy Weekes has severed ties with the Sask. Party after accusing some members of harassment and intimidation tactics, including a situation he claimed saw the Government House Leader bring a hunting rifle to the legislative building.