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It sounds like Canada is metaphorically and literally playing with fire by turning down help because of the logistical problems. They got help fighting fires fr
by fblp 10y ago
It sounds like Canada is metaphorically and literally playing with fire by turning down help because of the logistical problems. They got help fighting fires from Mexico, the US, Australia, NZ and south Africa last year [1]
Here's some comparisons to the numbers in the article you linked to:
Canada:
700 firefighters, several choppers, 27 air tankers and 46 pieces of heavy equipment deployed to fight 500,000+ hectare wildfire that has destroyed 2000+ buildings.
In Australia, 2013:
2000 firefighters, 90 aircraft, 200 fire engines were deployed to fight a 118,000 hectares fire that cost ~US$50 million and destroyed 250 buildings
Many of the firefighters in Australia (and in the southern hemisphere) are idle at the moment as it's heading into winter. It's very weird that Canada turned down help when so much property is on the line.
Source
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-02/australian-firefighters-return-from-canada-bushfires/6666012 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-02/australian-firefighter...
- notatoad 10y agothere is not really any property on the line. The fire burned three neighbourhoods in Ft McMurray the first day, when it surprised everybody and residents were evacuating through the flames. The next week or so saw significant urban firefighting work to protect the rest of the city and a lot of urban firefighters from around alberta went up to help. Since then, when all the offers of aid from other countries have been coming in, the fire has left town and is mostly just burning up remote forest.
- The_Blackthorn 10y agoThe numbers of firefighters in the area that you quoted is incorrect. Currently there are 2,146 firefighters and support staff, 80 helicopters and 219 pieces of heavy equipment battling this fire. Source http://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=41701E7ECBE35-AD48-5793-1642C499FF0DE4CF http://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=41701E7ECBE35-AD48-579...