Update: On Wednesday morning, the Lac La Biche firefighters were officially rerouted to Cache Creek.
LAC LA BICHE — Four of Lac La Biche County’s firefighters arrived in Kamloops Monday evening to help battle significant and “out of control” wildfires affecting much of British Columbia’s southern interior.
After receiving the request directly from British Columbia Wildfire Service (BCWS), Lac La Biche County Fire Rescue Services firefighters Mohamad Moghrabi, John Mondal, Leah Larocque, and Andrew Snook have been deployed to Kamloops for two weeks.
However, after heavy rains fell in Kamloops overnight and into today, the Lac La Biche Crew and a crew from Hinton have been asked to remain on standby, with the potential for the Alberta crews to be redeployed to another community in the province, John Kokotilo, Lac La Biche County’s regional fire chief told Lakeland Today.
Mother Nature will play a large role in where and for how long the Lac La Biche protection specialist firefighters will be deployed, says Kokotilo.
The four-person crew is equipped with a type six wildland unit and a Structure Protection Unit (SPU), which consists of a 4x4 truck fitted with a water tank and pump that carries water and a pre-mixed foam that offers extended wildland firefighting capabilities. The special services vehicle is also capable of accessing rugged terrain if required.
Prior to the rains in the Kamloops region, the two-week trip was anticipated to be extended due to the severity of the Sparks Lake fire and Tremont Creek fire, which had previously grown by 20,000 hectares within a period of 24 hours.
There are approximately 263 wildfires burning in British Columbia at this time, with 3,000 evacuation orders and alerts in effect for property owners, Kokotilo added.
For residents interested in helping relief efforts information below has been provided to LakelandToday.ca
https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/how-you-can-help-those-affected-by-wildfire/
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/donate-to-charities-responding-to-the-british-columbia-wildfires/
