2023-06-13 19:00:59
AFSUD-CANADA-FIRE-FORESTS-CLIMATE
Fires in Canada: Hundreds of South African firefighters to the rescue
MBOMBELA (South Africa), June 13, 2023 (AFP) – Under a blazing sun, 200 South African firefighters begin their final training: they are part of the next contingent which will leave on Wednesday as reinforcements for Canada, bereaved by forest fires tenacious and unprecedented.
In Canada, more than 4.6 million hectares of forest have already been devoured by the flames and tens of thousands of people have had to be evacuated. After a lull, the fires affecting several provinces redoubled in intensity over the weekend.
A group of 200 South African firefighters already left as reinforcements last week in Alberta (west). The next 200 will follow them in the same province. This support is part of a mutual aid agreement between the two governments in the event of veld (grassy steppe in South Africa) or forest fires.
On the eve of departure, in Mbombela (north-east), the group of South African firefighters in blue and yellow uniforms sing a song to encourage two colleagues who are starting to climb a wall of combat. Others practice quickly reeling the fire hose or run loaded with twenty-kilo bags full of equipment.
“Go Mbokodo! (strong woman, in the Zulu language) yells one of them, to encourage his colleague who energetically deploys a hose through the bushes.
These South African contingents come from a program set up by the Ministry of the Environment in areas at high risk of fire, called “Working on Fire”, which recruits and trains young unemployed people aged 18 to 35. .
With AFP
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