'When our mates need help, Australia is there': Fire crew from Down Under deployed in Alberta

Wallis Snowdon · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 10, 2025 12:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

With wildfires burning crossed Alberta, firefighters defending communities nether menace volition beryllium getting immoderate assistance from Down Under.

Crews from Australia are bound for Alberta to assistance successful the conflict against much than 60 fires raging crossed the province.

In a station to societal media, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked the firefighters for their work during their upcoming deployment

"When our mates request help, Australia is there," Albanese said. 

"Thank you to our brave Aussie firefighters heading to assistance conflict the Alberta wildfires successful Canada."

The New South Wales Rural Fire Service successful Australia said a radical of their firefighters and specialists from Southern Highlands has deployed to Canada for 5 weeks.

The 96-strong contingent boarded a formation to Canada Sunday and volition provide critical expertise and enactment to the Canadian authorities "in their clip of need," the work said successful a station to its authoritative Facebook page. 

The deployment is successful effect to a petition from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, the work said.

'What friends do'

The Australian High Commissioner to Canada, Kate Logan, said the crews "are connected their mode to enactment their Canadian colleagues conflict wildfires successful Alberta."

She said specified overseas deployments build connected the countries' arrogant co-operation nether the Australia/Canada Memorandum of Understanding connected exigency management, but "more importantly, it's what friends do."

Australia besides sent firefighters to Canada successful 2024 to assistance combat a monolithic wildfire that forced the evacuation of Jasper National Park, arsenic good arsenic different fires earlier that period successful British Columbia.

The Yukon government, meanwhile, says it is sending 20 firefighters to combat wildfires successful Alberta and volition beryllium determination for astir 3 weeks.

According to the Alberta government, much than 1,000 Alberta firefighters are presently battling wildfires crossed the state and assistance has already travel from acold distant arsenic conditions grew volatile successful caller weeks.

In an update connected the wildfire effect on Friday, the state said firefighters and craft from British Columbia, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Washington State, Oregon and Idaho had already been deployed successful Alberta to assistance connected the beforehand lines.

WATCH | Evacuation orders refused, the implications of those who enactment behind:  

Across Canada, from northwest Ontario to British Columbia, hundreds of wildfires proceed to burn, forcing thousands of radical from their homes.

In Alberta, astir 3,000 radical stay displaced and, arsenic of Tuesday, seven retired of the province's 65 wildfires were considered an imminent menace to adjacent communities.

As of Tuesday, much than 617,300 hectares of Alberta wood and farmland has been consumed.

In all, 544 fires person sparked successful the state since winter, in what has proven to beryllium an explosive and destructive commencement to wildfire play crossed the west.