Abbotsford is doing its part to both fight the wildfires ravaging much of the province and support those evacuating affected regions.
Two Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service crews are currently fighting the blaze near 150 Mile House near Williams Lake in the Cariboo region. A four-firefighter crew went up in an AFRS engine on July 11, followed by four career firefighters on the 15th. The first crew has been rotated out with another and the second crew will soon also be rotated out.
AFRS chief Don Beer said a third crew may also be deployed.
“There is the sense that [the wildfires are] going to go on for quite a while and there will be a need,” he said.
The city firefighters are not as well-trained in fighting wildfires as are Ministry of Forests crews and, therefore, are spending most of their time protecting homes and other buildings, as well as mopping up fires in interface areas using hoses, bulldozers and other heavy equipment, rather than fighting the flames on the front lines, Beer said.
He said the Abbotsford crews have been involved in protecting the Pioneer Log Homes facilities made famous by the HGTV show Timber Kings.
Provincial funds made available by the declaration of a state of emergency will cover the costs of sending and supporting the crews.
AFRS has also registered about 40 wildfire evacuees at its main firehall, Beer said, as well as supporting those who have registered at the evacuation centres in Chilliwack and Cloverdale.
Abbotsford staff and volunteers have been working in key roles at the evacuation centre at Chilliwack Secondary School, where dozens of evacuees from 100 Mile House, 150 Mile House and Williams Lake have registered.
“We’ve been as active as the Chilliwack people; it’s just it’s not our facility.”
Beer said land and facilities have also been made available in Abbotsford to any evacuated livestock but there hasn’t been much uptake so far.
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