The techniques used to put out the wildfires that are burning across Canada vary somewhat depending on geography, but ultimately they depend on people on the ground with hoses and shovels digging out hot spots one by one, experts say. As of midday Thursday, there were 430 fires burning across Canada, including 235 that were out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Regardless of how many fires there are, the tactics to put them out remain largely the same, involving a combination of air attacks and firefighters working on the ground, said a longtime firefighter and former member of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources’ fire program. Dave Cowan, who now trains new recruits with the private company Fire 1, said that while aircraft can help stop a fire’s advance, the hard work of putting it out is always done at ground level.
WASHINGTON — The agency co-ordinating the deployment of U.S. firefighters and equipment to Canada says it is keeping a wary eye on its own looming fire season. The U.S. National Interagency Fire Center says there are currently 345 federal firefighters and support personnel helping out north of the border. A total of 649 U.S. personnel have been cycled through Canada since early May — but that number doesn’t include state-level resources that are also assisting. More than 100 firefighters and support workers have been sent separately to Alberta, Nova Scotia and Quebec, along with four airtankers from Alaska and Washington state. …But many of those workers will soon be needed closer to home, the agency warns, with the busy summer fire season rapidly approaching.
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Hundreds of wildfires, based mainly in Quebec, continued to pose a threat to communities Wednesday and sent harmful smoke across Eastern parts of the continent. Skies were clouded over in many cities in Ontario, Quebec and the U.S. eastern seaboard. Canada could exceed the largest total amount of burned area recorded in this country in a single year if the current rate of wildfire activity continues, according to Natural Resources Canada. The department released updated data and forecasts Monday showing that, as of June 4, there had been 2,214 wildfires across Canada this year, and about 3.3 million hectares burned. The 10-year average over the same timeframe is 1,624 fires and 254,429 hectares burned.
Weather maps hang on the walls and precipitation reports flash across screens in the Winnipeg office where major decisions about Canada’s battle against an unprecedented wildfire season are made. Inside the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre headquarters in Manitoba’s capital, just east of the exact longitudinal centre of Canada, there are discussions on how best to battle blazes from coast to coast. “It’s definitely an unprecedented season,” Jennifer Kamau, communications manager for the centre, said Tuesday. “It started early and it accelerated very quickly.” Federal officials warned this week that Canada could see its worst year for wildfire destruction. They said the risks from warm and dry conditions are forecasted to persist in nearly every province and territory through the summer. “This is a scary time for a lot of people,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.
Rain Friday morning brought some reprieve for crews battling the out-of-control Cameron Bluffs wildfire, which has grown to 208 hectares in rugged, steep terrain on mid-Vancouver Island. More rain could still show up … but hot and dry weather is expected to return. Bryce Moreira, fire incident commander, said that firefighters are seeing “just a little bit of open flame or smouldering ground fire, which is good news for the crews.” …Port Alberni-based businesses that rely on heavy trucks are looking at chartering barges to transport supplies and products in and out of their operations. After a brief shutdown, Paper Excellence is reopening its paper mill, and normally has 100 trucks moving per day, Pat Deakin, Economic Development Manager said Friday. Trucks used by the company are heavier than permitted by the province on the detour route. The San Group Global Forestry Products similarly has a few dozen trucks going back and forth daily, Deakin said. 
Highway 4 remains closed at Cameron Lake Bluff due to wildfire affecting the area. A detour is in place and drivers are strongly encouraged to avoid travel in the area unless essential. The detour will route traffic from Port Alberni through to Lake Cowichan via Bamfield using forest-service and privately owned industrial roads. The gravel detour route has narrow sections, sharp curves, single-lane bridges and challenging terrain. There is no cell service, gas stations or washroom facilities on the detour route. Regular passenger vehicles, such as cars, vans and commercial vehicles weighing less than 63,500 kilograms, can travel through the detour corridor. No over-height or over-weight vehicles will be permitted. The detour route extends travel by four hours and includes difficult driving conditions. It is strongly encouraged to wait to travel if possible.
A wildfire burning roughly 10 kilometres east of Port Alberni on Vancouver Island has led to the shutdown of Highway 4. The Cameron Bluffs wildfire is currently burning out of control and is an estimated 140 hectares. The shutdown of Highway 4 concerns officials, as it is the only major route connecting Port Alberni with the rest of Vancouver Island, outside of logging roads. According to the Ministry of Transportation, the closure is now expected to last beyond the fire itself, due to damage to the road and instability of the slope above the highway. Port Alberni’s mayor, Sharie Minions, said the region is extremely dependent on Highway 4 and the closure will be challenging. …Minion said supplies, goods, and food all come to the community from the highway route. Luckily, she said the community is prepared for a short-term closure. …“We are fortunate right now it is only a transportation risk, not a community risk.”
MONTREAL – Quebec’s precarious wildfire situation is expected to remain stable over the next 48 hours but residents displaced by the raging forest fires likely won’t be able to return home until early next week, Premier François Legault said Thursday. “We have (as of) today, 13,500 people that have been evacuated, we think that it’ll be stable in the next few days,” Legault told a briefing, but said that evacuees from Chibougamau and Lebel-sur-Quévillon, Que., which account for a large number of those displaced, won’t be able to return until Tuesday at the earliest. Quebec’s wildfire fight was focused Thursday in the province’s northern and western regions, where flames had reached the doorstep of a municipality of roughly 800 people. Authorities said a wildfire was within 500 metres of Normétal, Que., located 720 kilometres northwest of Montreal, in the Abitibi region.
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