Staff and volunteers from the Chilliwack Salvation Army have been on-scene at the Burns Bog fire in Delta all week.
Coming through on their Emergency Disaster Services duties, they were called in on Monday by Salvation Army Vancouver to help feed first responders as they tackled the estimated 78-hectare fire that broke out in the nature reserve on Sunday morning.
It was a prime opportunity to make use of their recently acquired Community Response Unit, a 33-foot kitchen trailer. They joined Salvation Army teams from Abbotsford, North Vancouver and New Westminster to feed and hydrate nearly 150 first responders per day.
Chilliwack’s responsibility has been providing dinner. Teams of four have been heading there all week to run the trailer.
“We’re giving them good, nutritious meals, so they can go back out there and fight fires. They need the energy,” food bank manager Don Armstrong said.
The atmosphere on-site is definitely smoky, he added, but they’re trying to keep the outlook positive and upbeat as they serve the hard-working men and women.
In an update released on Wednesday, the fire is now 100 per cent contained, the level of smoke has been reduced and the danger rating has been downgraded to low, but many firefighters remain working until it is completely out.
“We’ll continue to help until they don’t need us anymore,” Armstrong said.
