The dozen PEI forest firefighters who assisted in the wildfire efforts in BC have returned home.
They left for B.C. on July 17th. 11 were part of a sustained action team with members from Newfoundland and Labrador, and the 12th served as the Island delegation’s liaison officer. All 12 are employees with the province’s Department of Communities, Land and Environment.
The Islanders were assigned to the Gustafson fire in the area of 100 Mile House, about 200 kilometres north of Kamloops, B.C. The sustained action team worked to secure the fire perimeter, identify hot spots, and extinguish deep-burn ash pits to prevent future flare-ups.
The Gustafson fire was estimated to cover more than 6,000 hectares but is now being reported as 100 per cent contained.