Four RCAF Griffon helicopters have been sent to Fort McMurray to provide support to the government of Alberta in the ongoing efforts to deal with wildfires there.
In addition, one CC-130J is heading to CFB Cold Lake to be on standby for additional support, and a C-17 Globemaster has been put on Red-Alert standby for strategic lift of assesstes form the region.
Members of Canada’s Armed Forces are mobilizing and poised to deliver supplies from bases in Edmonton and Cold Lake, and to help with evacuation and fire fighting efforts should the request come from the Alberta government.
“We are the force of last resort,” Brig.-Gen. Wayne Eyre, commander of Canadian Forces in Western Canada, said Wednesday morning. “We come in when all other resources are exhausted.”
No one was ruling that out. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley declared a state of emergency Wednesday afternoon, before flying to Fort McMurray to assess the damage. “We all know this is the single biggest evacuation that we’ve seen from a fire, and the single biggest overall impact on a community in the history of the province,” she said.
Here are some photos from Combat Camera:
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| Members of 417 Combat Support Squadron prepare to depart for Fort McMurray as part of Operation LENTUS 2016 at 4 Hangar, 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta on May 4, 2016. Photo by: Cpl Manuela Berger, 4 Wing Imaging CK01-2016-0428-006 |
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