Military airlifting supplies from Vancouver Island to fight wildfires in B.C. Interior
A military airlift is underway to ferry trucks and firefighting equipment from Vancouver Island to the B.C. Interior, where hundreds of wildfires continue to force residents from their homes.
A Hercules cargo plane made multiple trips Friday from Canadian Forces Base Comox to Kamloops, B.C., delivering wildfire trucks and much-needed supplies to firefighters and military personnel on the ground.
British Columbia’s emergency management office estimated there were more than 300 wildfires burning in the province Friday afternoon, forcing thousands to flee and putting thousands more on alert to leave at a moment’s notice.
At least four trucks from the Coastal Fire Centre, two mobile headquarters shelters and a pair of lighting trailers were aboard the Royal Canadian Air Force cargo plane as it touched down in Kamloops.
During one delivery, the transport craft spent mere minutes unloading on the Tarmac before departing again to gather more equipment and resources from Vancouver Island, which has been spared any significant wildfires so far this season.
The military has been tasked with airlifting supplies into and around the B.C. Interior as fires threaten to impair major roadways in the region.
A pair of Griffon helicopters from Alberta and two Chinook transport helicopters from Petawawa, Ont., are also in Kamloops to assist in the wildfire relief efforts and evacuations, if necessary.
At the Kamloops airport where approximately 50 military personnel are now deployed, Maj. David Wood said the Hercules cargo plane was brought in when the BC Wildfire Service requested equipment that “we couldn’t handle with the helicopters that we have on the ground.”
The military was deployed to central B.C. to aid in the wildfire response on July 4 and is currently scheduled to remain until at least July 19.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.