B.C. wildfire crews deploy to Manitoba

A crew of firefighters is heading to Manitoba to help with wildfires in that province.

B.C.'s Forests Minister Katrine Conroy says 41 firefighters and two support staff were deployed on Wednesday.

A statement from Conroy's office says the BC Wildfire Service welcomes the chance to share firefighting resources with other jurisdictions.

Today #BCWildfire Service deployed 41 crew members and two support staff to support firefighting efforts in Manitoba. We are proud to help other provinces when these resources aren’t required for wildfires in B.C. For more information on the deployment: https://t.co/wtPF5fiWGg pic.twitter.com/Ntd2axixUE

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) May 26, 2021

Precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will be taken and the Forests Ministry says the B.C. team will remain in its own bubble, operating separately from Manitoba firefighters.

The wildfire service says most of the 250 blazes reported in B.C. since the start of the fire season in March are listed as out, 15 are controlled, one is being held and four are new fires that started Tuesday.

Manitoba currently has several active wildfires, including two northeast of Dauphin that are listed as out of control and have burned a combined total of 2,200 square kilometres since being sparked two weeks ago.