Canadian military to help fight Nova Scotia wildfires amid ‘unprecedented’ season

The federal government has approved a request for the Canadian Armed Forces to help Nova Scotia fight wildfires as the eastern province, like other parts of the country, faces a challenging season this year.

Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair made the announcement at a news conference in Ottawa Thursday.

“As of this morning, I can confirm that we have approved a request for assistance from the province of Nova Scotia that we received yesterday,” Blair said.

Canadian Armed Forces will assist provincial emergency management officials with planning and coordination supports, ignition specialist personnel and equipment, and other firefighting resources.

“These additional firefighting resources will be used to relieve firefighters who’ve been working tirelessly around the clock to protect communities right across Nova Scotia,” he said.

In addition, more than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days.

Federal officials say at least 100 U.S. firefighters will be arriving in Nova Scotia over the weekend to help knock down out-of-control wildfires that have forced about 21,000 people from their homes since Sunday.

Trending Now

Another 200 firefighters arriving from South Africa will likely end up in Alberta, though officials say the wildfire situation in the country is fluid.

Across the country, there are currently 211 wildfires burning, including 82 out of control, Blair said.

So far this year, 1,826 wildfires have already burned 2.7 million hectares of land — which is equivalent to over five million football fields.

“These conditions this early in the season are unprecedented,” Blair said.

More to come…

— with files from The Canadian Press