U.S. ambassador says wildfires offer reminder of countries’ shared challenges
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OTTAWA — U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said Tuesday that Canada’s recent wildfires offer a “stark reminder” of the countries’ shared challenges.
In a statement shared by the U.S. Embassy, Hoekstra said the fires also show the importance of the two countries working together.
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Hoekstra said he’s “proud” of the more than 800 U.S. firefighters who are helping Canada during the wildfire season.
He said U.S. resources mobilized to Canada include airtankers, firefighting crews, incident management teams and overhead staff.
“The wildfires raging across Canada, from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland, are causing immense hardship and have forced families to evacuate their homes and communities,” Hoekstra said in the embassy statement.
“Poor air quality here in Ottawa, across Canada, and in the United States caused by the wildfires is a stark reminder of the shared challenges we face and the importance of working together to protect lives, communities, and natural resources.”
Hoekstra said the United States and Canada have “a long history” of supporting one another in times of crisis.
“Canadians stood with us during the tragic California wildfires earlier this year, and we are committed to standing with Canada now,” he said.
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, a non-profit owned and operated by federal, provincial and territorial wildland fire management agencies, says on its website that almost 750 active wildfires are burning across Canada.
Thousands fled from a First Nation in northern Manitoba days ago as wildfires approached the community. The Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation near Nelson House issued a full evacuation order Sunday as the flames threatened to cut off road access.
The number of wildfires burning in British Columbia has more than doubled in the past week after a stretch of hot, dry weather and thunderstorms that produced more than 67,000 lightning strikes.
Multiple wildfires are also burning in Newfoundland, prompting evacuation orders and destroying structures in a community in the eastern part of the province.
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