Staff
The Ministry of Natural Resources is into its seventh week of providing forest firefighting support to British Columbia, with well over 200 personnel still deployed there and more expected to go throughout this week.
Prior to yesterday, 133 MNR personnel were in B.C. but an additional 78 were sent Monday, including two crew members and four overhead staff from the local MNR headquarters.
This brings the total of local personnel currently in B.C. up to 12.
More resources also were scheduled for deployment today, including an Incident Management Team. Then on Thursday, more firefighters, including two four-person FireRanger crews from here, will head west.
Returning Ontario resources are sharing their stories of appreciation from the B.C. locals, citing Ontario’s support and professionalism.
In other news, 30 MNR personnel, including 24 FireRangers, arrived in Blue Mountain, near Collingwood, yesterday to assist in storm damage clean-up there.
FireRangers completed their work with municipalities in Vaughan and Durham last week.
Meanwhile, no new forest fires were reported in the West Fire Region yesterday. One fire in Thunder Bay District is being monitored and continues to smoulder.
It is not posing any problems.
The fire hazard is “moderate” in nearly all of the West Fire Region, meaning the public must carry out any forest activities with caution.
The only exception is Thunder Bay District, where the hazard currently is “low.”
