Foreign firefighters fight flames and fatigue, get ‘eaten alive’ by mosquitoes
Eighteen-year-old Hunter Sousa from Maine celebrated his high school graduation by hopping in a truck and heading to Nova Scotia to fight the biggest forest fire in the province’s history.
Sousa is one of the many foreign firefighters who were pressed into service as Canada battles its worst wildfire season in recent memory. Hailing from 10 different countries on five continents, they’ve been battling flames, fatigue and mosquitoes during stints of 14 consecutive days or more in unfamiliar conditions.
Eric Flores, the head of a team of more than 100 French firefighters dispatched to Quebec, says the fires are far larger — and more challenging — than what he usually sees at home. As of Wednesday evening, he said the firefighters had been successful at holding back the flames from the community. They’ve been less successful, however, at holding back the “incredible number” of flies and mosquitoes that he describes as their biggest challenge.As of Thursday, there were 1,477 foreign firefighters in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta deployed through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, the group said in an email.
In Edson, Alta., where he’s been working, he said the focus is on securing the perimeters of the fire and slowly working inward.The contingent includes coordinators such as Antoinette Jini, who helps organize teams on the ground, making sure the assignments are understood and the proper information gets conveyed.
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Foreign firefighters fight flames, fatigue and get 'eaten alive' by mosquitoesFor some other firefighters, their trip to Canada has yielded a front-row view to infernos of a magnitude few of them had ever seen.
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Foreign firefighters fight flames, fatigue and get ‘eaten alive’ by mosquitoesFor some foreign firefighters, their trip to Canada has yielded a front-row view to infernos of a magnitude few of them had ever seen
Lire la suite »
Foreign firefighters fight flames, fatigue and get 'eaten alive' by mosquitoesMONTREAL — Eighteen-year-old Hunter Sousa from Maine celebrated his high school graduation by hopping in a truck and heading to Nova Scotia to fight the biggest forest fire in the province's history.
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Foreign firefighters fight flames, fatigue and get 'eaten alive' by mosquitoesMONTREAL — Eighteen\u002Dyear\u002Dold Hunter Sousa from Maine celebrated his high school graduation by hopping in a truck and heading to Nova Scotia to fight the…
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Foreign firefighters fight flames, fatigue and get ‘eaten alive’ by mosquitoesHailing from 10 different countries on five continents, foreign fighters have been battling flames, fatigue and mosquitoes during stints of 14 consecutive days or more in unfamiliar conditions.
Lire la suite »
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