Harper thanks fire crews at B. C. blaze

With smoke billowing from a hillside behind him, Prime Minister Stephen Harper vowed Thursday to take a hard look at new ways to fight devastating wildfires like the one raging near West Kelowna, B. C.

He said it was “possible” climate change was to blame but stopped short of committing new resources or funding — instead promising to debrief with premiers once the fire season had ended.

“When the dust settles, so to speak, we’re obviously going to sit down and assess what new or different things need to be done, what we can do in terms of better co- ordination of resources, mitigation,” he said.

Harper, B. C. Premier Christy Clark and others toured a fire-scorched area where residents from 70 homes were chased out Monday by the flames. The prime minister shook hands with firefighters and thanked them.

“We know these are tough and sometimes dangerous jobs and these efforts really are appreciated by everybody.”

Harper said he’s spoken with both Clark and Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall about the need to improve how fires are fought.

Clark said both she and Wall have asked the federal government to support provinces through an enhanced military presence and a national cache of technology that could be deployed during wildfires.