Ontario has requested further firefighting assistance from British Columbia, with an expected increase in lightning activity and ongoing hot and dry conditions.

Seventy Wildfire Management Branch personnel will be deployed tomorrow, including 12 three-person initial attack crews and 34 other fire suppression specialists.

Initial attack crews are usually assigned to newer and smaller fires, like lightning-caused fires, because they can respond quickly and keep a fire from increasing in size. For more on B.C.'s initial attack crews, visit: http://bcwildfire.ca/FightingWildfire/Crews/

This is the seventh deployment to Ontario, bringing the total number of personnel deployed there this season to 703. This is still below the more than 1,050 firefighters and specialists that were deployed to northern Alberta earlier this year.

The Wildfire Management Branch always maintains adequate firefighting capacity to respond to current conditions in B.C. Deployed personnel can be recalled at any time.

Contact:

Fionna Tollovsen
Provincial Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
250 312-3051