Canada sends more crews to help with logistics of battling Australian wildfires
WINNIPEG — Firefighters from across Canada are on their way to Australia to bolster Canadians already assisting the country in the battle against devastating wildfires.
Stephen Tulle, duty officer with the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, said a group of 15 set out for Queensland Monday, while another group of 21 will fly out later in the week.
He said the contingent of Canadian wildfire specialists stationed in Queensland and New
South Wales will reach 87 by Saturday.
This is the first time that Canada has sent firefighters to Australia, although Tulle says crews from Down Under have visited here and were vital in helping British Columbia handle widespread wildfires in 2017 and 2018.
The Canadian contingent is made up of male and female volunteers from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon and Parks Canada.
The Australian wildfires have killed 10 people and destroyed 1,000 homes across the country in the past few months.
Tulle said the Canadians will primarily be performing firemanager duties, related to command, planning, logistics and aviation management.
Many of the Canadians are already familiar with their Australian counterparts, Tulle said.
“It’s like old homecoming week,” he said. “They’re down there and they say: ‘Hey, we worked together in British Columbia in 2018.’ And so, they do know each other. They do have those contacts and those relationships.”
Canadian firefighters will spend about six weeks in Australia before returning home and Tulle said Canada will continue to send crews as long as volunteers can be found, and Australia is requesting help.
“Our people, kudos to them, have been standing up saying: ‘Yeah, you know what, they’ve been here for us and we’d like to be here for them.’ ”
PERTH, Australia — Wildfires burning across Australia’s two mostpopulous states trapped residents of a seaside town in apocalyptic conditions Tuesday and were feared to have destroyed many properties and caused fatalities.
In the southeastern town of Mallacoota, around 4,000 residents fled toward the waterside as winds pushed an emergency-level wildfire towards their homes. The town was shrouded in darkness from the smoke before turning an unnerving shade of bright red.
Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said there were plans to evacuate the trapped people by sea. There were grave fears for four missing people. “We can’t confirm their whereabouts,” Andrews told reporters on Tuesday.
He has requested assistance from 70 firefighters from the United States and Canada.
Victoria Emergency Services Commissioner Andrew Crisp confirmed “significant” property losses across the region.
Fire conditions worsened in Victoria and New South Wales states after oppressive heat Monday mixed with strong winds and lightning strikes.
A firefighter died Monday when extreme winds flipped his truck. Samuel McPaul, 28, was the third volunteer firefighter in New South Wales to have died in the past two weeks. He was an expectant father.
Australia’s wildfires have razed more than 1,000 homes in the past few months, with the most-populous state of New South Wales bearing the brunt.
New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said a “significant” number of properties in the region had been destroyed and three people unaccounted for were considered potential fatalities.
“We are expecting more difficult news out of New South Wales and Victoria today as the assessments are undertaken of the terrible fires from yesterday and last night,” Prime Minster Scott Morrison said in a statement.
Some communities have cancelled New Year’s fireworks celebrations, but Sydney’s popular display over its iconic harbourfront will go ahead. The city was granted an exemption to a total fireworks ban in place there and elsewhere to prevent sparking new wildfires.
Sydney is expected to hit 34 C today, while the city’s western suburbs could reach 43 C. Thick smoke shrouding views of the harbour and Sydney Opera House was also expected.
The celebrations are expected to attract a million people to Sydney’s harbour front and generate $91 million US for the state’s economy.