British Columbia is deploying additional forest fire personnel to Ontario, while another group returns home.

As 101 firefighters currently in Ontario reach their maximum amount of deployment days and return to B.C., five 20-person unit crews and an agency representative will depart for Ontario to replace them.

With this latest changeover of crews, 532 personnel remain out of province. The Wildfire Management Branch has deployed 1,720 personnel during the 2011 season.

Crews will be in Ontario for up to 19 days, but can be recalled at any time if B.C.'s wildfire situation changes. Sufficient personnel have been retained to manage current firefighting needs.

Media Contact:

Alyson Couch
Provincial Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
250 312-3051