FORT McMURRAY — More than 80 Alberta wildfire personnel, including staff from the Fort McMurray Forest Area, are helping battle wildfires in eastern Canada as fire activity intensifies across much of the country.
Alberta Wildfire says 81 crew members and support staff are assisting with wildfire suppression efforts in Quebec through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. The deployment includes two permanent staff members from the Fort McMurray Forest Area.
The province says it provides firefighters, aerial firefighting resources and coordination expertise to other jurisdictions when wildfire activity is low enough in Alberta to safely share resources.
The Fort McMurray Forest Area has also deployed a wildfire helitack crew to Ontario, where crews are supporting wildfire suppression efforts.
Ontario remains Canada’s most active wildfire jurisdiction, with extreme fire danger across much of the province. Widespread fires have forced evacuations and continue to threaten communities and infrastructure, while hot, dry weather and lightning are expected to fuel further fire growth in the coming days.
Fire danger is also increasing in northern Manitoba, north-central Saskatchewan and interior British Columbia, while parts of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut continue to face extreme wildfire conditions.
Smoke from the fires continues to affect air quality across much of Canada and into the United States, with officials coordinating diplomatic discussions over the cross-border impacts.
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre says Canada remains at National Preparedness Level 4, indicating wildfire activity is significant, demand for personnel and equipment is high, and additional resource requests are expected as the fire season continues.
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