Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has revealed that Canada is sending the military to tackle the fast-spreading wildfires in British Columbia, as the province deals with flames that have led to evacuation orders for over 35,000 people.
British Columbia declared a state of emergency and imposed a ban on non-essential travel to free up accommodations for evacuees and firefighters. The province urged drone operators and others capturing images of the fires to stay clear of rescue workers.
A real-time air quality information revealed that the air quality index (AQI), which measures major pollutants including particulate matter produced by fires, was above 350, a “hazardous” level, IQAir, in some cities in the province.
At midnight local time, Salmon Arm recorded Canada’s worst air quality index, with an AQI reading of 470 while Kelowna College and Sicamous both had an AQI of 423.
Jason Brolund, West Kelowna Fire Chief, said he saw some hope after battling “epic” fires for the past four days.
He said conditions have improved, as such, firefighters can put “boots on the ground” and dump water on flames that threatened the town of 150,000.
While talking to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Brolund said: “We are finally feeling like we are moving forward rather than moving backwards, and that’s a great feeling.”
Trudeau tweeted that the federal government will offer support from the Canadian military “to help with evacuations, staging,” and other logistical tasks in response to a British Columbia government’s request.
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