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B.C. to send 120 more firefighters to Alberta, Yukon

Service says 137 people, including 116 firefighters, will be deployed in Alberta for up to 19 days
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The fire in northern Alberta. (The Canadian Press)

The BC Wildfire Service says more than 130 personnel are being deployed to Alberta this week to assist with increasingly out-of-control wildfires.

The service says 137 people, including 116 firefighters, will be deployed in Alberta for up to 19 days.

READ MORE: Alberta man sings gospel as he watches his home burn in wildfire

The Alberta deployment includes six unit crews, or groups of 20 firefighters, who typically work on large fires and who can remain self-sufficient in the field for up to three days.

Seven personnel will also head to the Yukon to tackle growing wildfire threats, including two initial attack crews who are usually the first on the scene of a new wildfire and work to quickly set up water pumps and remove fuel from the fire’s path.

A crew of more than 260 people sent to Alberta in May will also return to B.C. later this week.

The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, which coordinates the sharing of firefighting resources between B.C. and other provinces, made the request for assistance.

In a statement, the wildfire service said sufficient personnel and resources remain in B.C. in order to respond to any fire activity in the province.

The Canadian Press

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