(Ontario firefighters arrive aboard this 101 seater at Prince George airport Saturday.  Photos 250 News)

Prince George, B.C. – It is fortunate for British Columbia that provinces in eastern Canada have been left relatively unscathed by forest fires this year.

With B.C. facing its worst wildfire season since 2006 and with almost half of its firefighting force about to go out of service, additional help is being welcomed from other provinces.  Wildfire Management Branch spokesman Warren Burkinshaw says the reason B.C.’s firefighting contingent is being reduced is because 40% of it is comprised of university students, and they’re getting prepared to head back to school.  With that much of a depletion of firefighting resources B.C. has had to bring in help from other provinces.

(Following a briefing of Ontario unit crew chiefs the new arrivals were organized and bussed into town)

Burkinshaw says they’ve come from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, a few from both Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island, Ontario and Alberta.  On top of that, 75 fire personnel have come from Australia and the government has enlisted the services of about one thousand contract personnel.  373 wildfires have consumed 177,000 hectares in the Prince George Fire Centre so far this season.  There have been 1269 fires province-wide and the cost of fighting them totals approximately $220 million.

Help arrived at the Prince George airport Saturday afternoon in the form of an 86-member contingent from Ontario.  They arrived aboard an Avro RJ100, the updated edition of the old BAE 146.  The aircraft is operated by North Cariboo Air, which runs jet rentals and air charters out of Fort St. John, Edmonton and Calgary.  The large plane is equipped with four jet engines, which required re-fuelling twice on the journey from Ontario and extended the trip for the passengers by about an hour.

Three busses were on hand at YXS to transport the contingent to three different lodging locations in the city because rooms are tough to find right now.  After eating and bedding down for the night they are up and at it today with a briefing session, after which they receive their trucks and radios and head off to their designated fire locations, ready for work on Monday.  The fire crews are being dispatched to the Chelaslie River, McAllister, Tenakihi and China Nose fires.  The remainder of the Ontario personnel will be handling office and equipment duties here in Prince George.

(A long trip from Ontario to B.C. didn't deter these ladies or Nels from saying they are rarin' to get to work)

Another four firefighters have driven here from Alberta.  They are from Edmonton, Hinton, Calgary and Grand Prairie.  So that is the group of firefighters who have just arrived to try to douse the huge blazes that are racing through our forests.

But, just to prove that they are logistical wizards, the Wildfire Management Branch is also arranging all of the details to accommodate groups of firefighters who have completed their tours of duty and are heading home to Ontario and Quebec.  113 firefighters arrived in Prince George Saturday and will head out today.  Another 126 arrive today and will be heading home on Monday.