Premier David Eby welcomed another wave of international firefighters to British Columbia on Thursday as the province’s wildfire service struggles to contain blazes that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of residents to flee. Fire crews from Mexico landed in Abbotsford on Thursday morning, joining an earlier wave of firefighters from Mexico, Alberta, Quebec and the Yukon. Additional personnel from Australia and New Zealand are also on the way to the province to offer much-needed relief for front-line crews, Eby said. The mutual aid demonstrates “the strong partnerships that exist across borders when communities are facing emergencies,” Eby said in a statement on their arrival. ‘Incredibly difficult time’ Approximately 7,000 properties in B.C. are under evacuation orders, with 3,500 more under evacuation alert, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service. “Our thoughts are with everyone who has been forced from their homes, living under evacuation alerts and orders, or dealing with the uncertainty and smoke these fires bring,” the premier said. “We know this is an incredibly difficult time for many families and communities, and we’re doing everything we can to support and protect people.” New evacuation orders have been issued for properties along Westside Road in the Shelter Cove, Secret Point and Cinnabar Creek areas on the west side of Okanagan Lake in the B.C. Interior. More than 2,600 people in the region have now been ordered to flee due to the out-of-control Quilpituk Creek fire. The blaze is burning just south of the Bradley Creek wildfire that destroyed at least 230 homes near Vernon over the weekend. ‘Intensifying conditions’ Further west, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District says structures have burned on approximately 120 properties near the village of Clinton, not including those inside the village itself. Meanwhile, evacuees in the fire-ravaged Fraser Canyon are returning home after several weeks as evacuation orders triggered by the Brunswick complex wildfire were downgraded Wednesday. However, the Fraser Valley Regional District has warned those residents to remain prepared to leave at a moment’s notice as the 480-square-kilometre fire complex burns out of control. Eby said the 200 Mexican firefighters would likely be assigned to the Brunswick complex for a 14-day deployment as part of a 600-person foreign contingent arriving in the province. The premier said the provincial wildfire service has indicated it has sufficient resources to continue the wildfire fight for the time being. “We’re expecting to see intensifying conditions over the next couple of weeks,” Eby said. “The wildfire service is warning of dry weather and wildfire strikes in the south of the province and I want to thank the wildfire service in advance for all their work.”
