A group of British Columbian wildland firefighters are in the Yukon assisting with wildfires this week, as the B.C. wildfire season continues its slow start.
On June 24, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) sent a fire behaviour analyst, one 20-person unit crew, along with six three-person initial attack crews to the Yukon to help fight wildfires burning in the territory.
The unit crew is stationed near the Village of Carmacks, while the initial attack crews are working around Kluane, Southern Lakes, Tintina and Tatchun.
In a tweet Wednesday morning, the BCWS noted B.C. received support from a number of different jurisdictions during last year's particularly destructive fire season.
At the peak of the 2021 wildfire season, BCWS received support from 917 out-of-province personnel. Support came from Parks Canada, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Australia and Mexico.
Additionally, 625 Canadian Armed Forces members helped with B.C.'s firefighting efforts last year, while the Canadian Coast Guard also provided some aerial resources.
“Supporting each other during times of need is important, and something BCWS is proud to do,” the BCWS said.
Cooler and wetter weather this spring across much of B.C. has resulted in a slow start to the fire season locally.
