Crews in British Columbia respond to wildfires

The British Columbia Wildfire Service was operating in what it said was a “critical” response window on May 17, as it sought to contain 60 fires in the province. Footage from the BC Wildfire Service shows firefighters responding to the Stoddart Creek Fire using both aircraft support and ground crews. According to local government information, the areas affected by the Red Creek and Stoddart Creek wildfires were downgraded to an evacuation alert from an evacuation order on May 17. In the footage, Dave Altrows, operations chief for the North Peace Complex, said more than 300 firefighters and over 130 structural protection firefighters were employed to tackle the blaze. “Over the next 48 hours there’s going to be a constant around the clock push to get those containment lines in place so that we can have defendable ground for both our crews and machine operators to work from,” Altrows said. Credit: BC Wildfire Service via Storyful