Nova Scotia to Help Fight Fires in Alberta

The Natural Resources Department is sending a 21 member firefighting crew to Alberta to assist with a high number of forest fires.

The additional resources from Nova Scotia were requested through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre to help control and extinguish fires burning throughout northern Alberta.

"We are in a position to help with forest firefighting efforts and our members from across the province are eager to assist their provincial counterparts," said acting Natural Resources Minister John MacDonell.

The low level of fire concern across Nova Scotia frees up resources that can be sent to a province with a greater need.

Nova Scotia is a member of the Canadian Mutual Aid Resource Sharing Agreement, established in the early 1980s, which ensures all provinces and territories will receive help if forest fires become too big for them to handle.

The firefighters will leave from Halifax on Friday, June 3 and are expected to return to the province on Monday, June 20.