200 firefighters from Australia and New Zealand are on their way

With wildfires at the doorsteps of several B.C. communities, hundreds of additional firefighters from Mexico, New Zealand and Australia are joining local teams to battle the blazes.

But some Canadian firefighters are asking why the province keeps bringing in foreign help.
There are currently around 200 Mexican firefighters assisting local wildland firefighters in B.C. and Ontario battling blazes, said Awa Cissé, a spokesperson for the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

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Around 200 more firefighters from Mexico and about 40 from New Zealand and Australia are on their way to help in B.C.

“We do need international help,” Ms. Cissé said. “We have 10 provinces, three territories, and all of the resources that can be used are currently being used across the country

The wildfire season in B.C. has already taken a toll on communities, with 120 properties lost in the South Cariboo, 230 homes destroyed in the North Okanagan and thousands of displaced evacuees.
Major fires continue to rage in the Fraser Canyon, Thompson-Nicola and East Kootenay regions near communities including Boston Bar, Clinton, Vernon and Kimberley.

B.C.’s Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said the international firefighters are helping during a challenging wildfire season.
“I’m proud of the wildland firefighters from Canada and Mexico who are not thinking about borders but are answering the call, as we do when our neighbours need us.”

International help arrives after provinces or territories request additional resources, including personnel, aircraft and equipment from the CIFFC. It is a non-profit owned and run by the federal, provincial and territorial agencies responsible for managing wildland fires.

The CIFFC communicates with provinces and territories to see if any resources can be redistributed, if none are available, the agency requests aid from international partners.
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Last year, 1,600 international firefighters helped Canada, Ms. Cissé said. That compares with around 600 in 2024 and 5,500 in the record-breaking 2023 wildfire season, according to CIFFC reports.
But bringing in international help isn’t the quickest way to increase capacity, said Sebastian Kallos, a wildland firefighter with 15 years of experience and a representative at the BC General Employees Union, which represents firefighters.