The Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection has sent resources to the Canadian province of Alberta, where agency information officer Lily Coyle says they’re dealing with an unusually intense early wildfire season.
“They declared a state of emergency over this past weekend.,” Coyle said. “On Saturday they had over one hundred wildfires spreading out of control. Their premier deemed it an unprecedented crisis.”
Coyle says the state sent a hot shot crew and an air tanker to Alberta.
While Alaska wildfire fighting agencies often send people and equipment to work outside the state in the fall, Coyle says the spring deployment is very unusual.
“This is the first time that we’ve sent a crew to Canada in May,” she said. “Our late fire season, coupled with the early drought conditions that Alberta is facing — that just set us up for this pretty unprecedented situation.”
Coyle said Alberta fire fighters came to Alaska to help during our busy 2022 fire season.
“And so this is an awesome opportunity for Alaskan fire fighters to pay back that service,” she said.
Coyle says Alaska has crews ready to respond to fires in state and is completing trainings that will provide additional people. On the federal side, Alaska Fire Service spokesperson Beth Ipsen says no personnel or equipment have so far been sent to help out in Alberta, but the AFS has 2 hot shot crews that will be finishing training this week and available for deployment.
