Hundreds of European firefighters joining Canada’s wildfire battle
Global News
A battalion of nearly 350 firefighters from the European Union will soon be on the ground in Quebec to help their Canadian counterparts tackle an unprecedented wildfire season.
A battalion of nearly 350 firefighters from the European Union will soon be on the ground in Quebec to help their Canadian counterparts tackle a devastating and unprecedented wildfire season.
One hundred and nine fire crews from France arrived last Thursday and spent the weekend dousing flames in Quebec, where fires have forced nearly 14,000 people to flee their homes.
Another 140 firefighters from Portugal and 97 from Spain are due to arrive in Quebec City on Wednesday, said Claire Kowalewski, the European Union Emergency Response Coordination Centre’s liaison officer in Canada.
It’s the first time in the centre’s 22-year history that it has sent firefighters to help in Canada, Kowalewski said.
“There is this solidarity,” she said. “Today, unfortunately, it’s Canada that is facing these terrible fires. But last year in Spain, it was also a terrible year.”
The firefighters understand each other, even if they don’t speak the same languages or even use the same techniques, Kowalewski said, adding: “In the end, they have the same objectives.”
Canadian officials have described the destruction from this year’s wildfire season as “unprecedented.” Nearly 430 forest fires roared across the country on Sunday, 210 of which were burning out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
Evacuations have been widespread, with more than 100,000 people in nine provinces and territories forced to leave their homes as quickly spreading flames approached.
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