DIEPPE, N.B. -- As firefighters from Nova Scotia combat flames along the Manitoba-Ontario border, firefighters from New Brunswick will soon have their boots on the ground in Alberta.
Twenty-two firefighters from regions all across New Brunswick are heading west to help with relief efforts in Fort McMurray. Most of them have experience facing forest fires, but nothing compared to what they’re heading into.
“I've never seen any footage like that before,” said Hayley Hallihan, a firefighter with New Brunswick’s Department of Natural Resources. “I've witnessed fires across highways, but I’ve never seen anything to that extent. It's crazy.”
“I'm pretty excited to go out and just help everybody out there,” said Tyler Langlais, another DNR firefighter. “I know they're having a hard time. It's just good that I can actually do something helpful.”
All 22 firefighters volunteered for this assignment. The plan is to have them on scene, fighting fires, by Friday.
“We don't have a location for our assignment, but our assignment will be on the line to assist in suppression efforts for the wildfires,” said wildfire training specialist Stephen Tulle.
The province extended the offer to help last week. That offer was accepted on Monday.
Denis Landry, New Brunswick’s Minister of Natural Resources, says that if Alberta needs more help, New Brunswick is ready.
“I don't know how long it will take to extinguish the fires, but if they need our help, we'll be there in the next coming weeks.”
Firefighters from Nova Scotia are also on the move, asked to help put out wildfires in Manitoba.
“We're assembling a team,” said Lloyd Hines, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Natural Resources. “They've been ready for over a week and very anxious to go, so Friday we're expecting around 20 to depart.”
New Brunswick has also offered the use of three water bombers and one bird dog aircraft used to guide the water bombers to their target. That offer has not yet been accepted.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jonathan MacInnis.
