South Korean firefighters land in Ottawa as wildfires continue to rage
Some 150 firefighters from South Korea landed in Ottawa on Sunday afternoon as part of their journey to northern Quebec to battle dozens of wildfires still raging there.
After a 13-hour flight, they were greeted at Ottawa International Airport by dignitaries including Treasury Board Chairman Mona Fortier and South Korean Ambassador to Canada Lim Woongsoon.
“Korea is ready to be one of the first to come to Canada when Canada is in need,” Lim told Radio-Canada in an interview.
“We won’t forget that Canada was with us when Korea was in need. That’s what best friends are supposed to do.”
The firefighters will first stop in Maniwaki, Que., and spend two days receiving technical briefings, before deploying to Lebel-sur-Quévillon, Que., about 500 miles northwest of Montreal.
The town of about 2,000 inhabitants has already been evacuated twice in recent weeks due to the threat of forest fires.
The crews have been preparing for several months and are ready to deal with the “exceptional” situation, said Kweon Ki-hwan, who heads South Korea’s disaster response.
According to SOPFEU, Quebec’s forest fire organization, there are still about 100 fires in the province.
“They are eager to contribute to your forest fire containment efforts. They are fully prepared. They are professional people,” Kweon said.
“We sincerely hope that we can meet the challenges and contribute a lot.”
Firefighting a ‘universal language’
The firefighters are just the latest international brigade to arrive in Quebec to help local crews fight the fires, SOPFEU communications officer Mélanie Morin said.
They are expected to stay in Canada for about a month, Morin said.
“Simply put, we need additional firefighters to put out the wildfires. We have more than 1.2 million acres on fire in the county,” Morin said.
Morin said international firefighters have already been dispatched from countries such as France, Spain and Portugal. The South Koreans will have access to interpreters to help with any language barriers, she added.
“Firefighting is a pretty universal language,” Morin said. “Everything should be fine.”
