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
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Toronto eliminated from PWHL playoffs
Toronto has been eliminated from the PWHL playoffs.
Information commissioner faces $700K funding shortfall, says system is 'overwhelmed'
Canada's information commissioner says her office is facing a $700,000 funding shortfall that could impact its ability to investigate complaints about government transparency and accountability.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.