A number of Cypress County firefighters are headed north to help battle wildfires.--PHOTO COURTESY CYPRESS COUNTY
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DUNMORE
Seven Cypress County firefighters are en route to relieve those battling blazes in northern Alberta, the county stated Friday morning.
The province is under a state of emergency as 77 active wildfires have forced thousands of Albertans to evacuate areas north and west of Edmonton. More than 800 firefighters are part of the control effort.
Local firefighters will take part in a provincewide rotation that will see them return in one week.
“We’ve all seen how dangerous the fires in our province are and want to do what we can to help as they deal with the ongoing crisis,” said Cypress County chief administrator Tarolyn Aaserud. “These resources will not impact our ability to respond here at home, but are desperately needed by our neighbours.”
Three vehicles from the local service are also involved in the deployment.
Cypress County has been subject to local fire restrictions since April 28 due to warm dry weather that officials say has elevated the risk of wildfires. That prohibits all open fires in the municipality and suspends all burning permits.
