World on fire
More than 100 NZ firefighters to tackle US, Canada blazes
More than 100 New Zealand fire personnel have been sent to North America to help fight and contain destructive wildfires in Canada and the United States.
The New Zealand Defence Force sent six more firefighters to Canada last night in addition to the three they sent to the United States on Friday.
They will join members from Fire and Emergency New Zealand after Canadian and United States authorities requested assistance.
Land Component Commander Brigadier John Boswell said the Defence Force was always ready to lend a hand to others who were in trouble.
“Our firefighters are highly skilled and experienced.
“They are regularly called upon for emergencies in New Zealand and overseas, and controlling extensive blazes is demanding work.
“Their skills will make a significant contribution to the massive coalition effort to battle the fires,” Boswell said.
Fifty-four firefighters and 11 management personnel left Auckland last night in addition to the 36 fire personnel deployed in the north and northwest of the United States.
Among those deployed from New Zealand are two Whanganui firefighters, Gavin Pryce and Andy Simons.
It is the first time either of the pair has been deployed on an overseas
Their skills will make a significant contribution.
Land Component Commander Brigadier John Boswell
mission and they’ll be there for more than a month.
“We’ll be there up to 42 days so it’s a long deployment,” Pryce said.
“We’ll be doing 14-day shifts with a small break in between.
“We don’t know exactly where we’re going yet but we’re likely to be staying in fire camps, sleeping in tents, in pretty remote locations,” he said.
About 90 wildfires are raging across 14 states in the northwestern United States and in Canada. Authorities have recorded 1085 wildfires since the fire season began on April 1.
Wildfires have been destroying thousands of lives across the globe, with wildfires raging throughout Portugal, Greece, Canada, the US and parts of Africa.
Heat warnings have also been issued throughout the Northern Hemisphere, with temperatures reaching the high 40s throughout Europe.
In Spain, heat warnings were issued for 41 of the country’s 50 provinces as temperatures were expected to continue to climb, possibly as high as 44C.
The World Meteorological Organisation says that Europe’s continental
record temperature was 48C in Greece in 1977.
In Portugal’s capital, Lisbon, temperatures reached 43C. The national record is 47.4C.
More than 740 firefighters battled a forest fire in the country’s south on Saturday as the temperatures climbed near record highs.
About 400 firefighters and five water-dropping aircraft also battled a wildfire in the southern region of Algarve.
Meanwhile, the Mendocino Complex fire in California grew by 25 per cent and had blackened more than 1000sq km as of yesterday morning.
It is the fifth largest wildfire in California’s history and is one of 17 major blazes burning throughout the western state.
Sergeant Alex Walker, who is leading the NZDF team deployed to the US, said the contingent was looking forward to doing its part.
“It is a great opportunity to show that we are an asset, not just in New Zealand but also internationally.
“Working as part of a multinational team, especially with the Australians, will be a great development opportunity for us,” Walker said.
Whanganui local Pryce said the whole New Zealand deployment was “pretty exciting” and he had been told it was the biggest challenge Kiwi firefighters had faced.
“The whole of Canada is at level 5, which is the highest fire danger.
“In British Columbia, where we’re heading, there are 412 fires currently burning.
“There are 520 fires in all of Canada at the moment, so it’s huge,” Pryce said.
— Additional reporting Wanganui Chronicle, Agencies