Posted Jun 29, 2023 10:38pm ET
A wildfire burns in a forest near the city of Cochrane, Ontario in a June 6, 2023 handout photo. *MANDATORY CREDIT*
South Korea is sending 151 firefighters to Canada, joining over 1,400 foreign firefighters to fight hundreds of wildfires that have ravaged the country.
According to the Korean Embassy in Canada, this team of “emergency” firefighters will be on a 30-day mission to assist firefighters in Lebel-sur-Quevillon, Que., an area that has since become one of the worst Fires in Quebec came the wildfire season of the year.
It is the second time in 2023 that the Korean disaster relief team will be deployed on such an operation. In its first assignment, the team was involved in a relief operation in Turkey after the earthquake that struck the country in February.
As Canada grapples with its worst wildfire season in recent memory, firefighters from more than 10 different countries across five continents have banded together to battle the raging blazes.
Over 1,470 firefighters from Mexico, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Costa Rica, Spain, South Africa and the United States have been deployed to Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta to help Canada fight wildfires.
Wildfire season began in Alberta last month and has since spread to other regions including Nova Scotia and parts of the Pacific province of British Columbia. The wildfires have caused significant damage and pose a threat to affected areas. A record 80,000 square kilometers of Canada has burned.
Reporting for this story was funded by the Meta-funded Afghan Journalists in Residence Project.