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Jul 27, 2021 3:10 PM -

Thirty-four Australian firefighting personnelset to arrive in B-C today

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Smoke particles from wildfires enhance the colour of a sunset as a motorist travels on Highway 97C near Logan Lake, B.C., on Thursday, July 15, 2021. Above average temperatures for many parts of B.C. aren't expected to ease soon and Environment Canada says there is no hint of showers until at least the weekend for some regions of southern B.C. hit hard by wildfires. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Thirty-four Australian firefighting personnel are set to arrive in B-C today, joining hundreds from Mexico, Quebec, Alberta, Parks Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces as they help battle some 250 wildfires burning across the province.

The B-C government says the group from Australia will include one nine-person incident management team, various specialized leadership roles and technical specialists who will be deployed under the direction of the B-C Wildfire Service.

It says out-of-province personnel are working under strict COVID-19 protocols.

More than 35-hundred people in total are involved in fighting operations across B-C, where the fire danger rating is listed as either high or extreme across swathes of southern Interior, Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

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