Photo Courtesy Cypress County

By Chris Brown

Cypress County firefighters proud to have helped fight wildfires

May 24, 2023 | 12:39 PM

DUNMORE, AB – As wildfires have raged across northern and central Alberta the past few weeks firefighters from Cypress County were among those asked to lend support.

A total of seven county firefighters and three vehicles were sent north to help fight the fires.

The group returned on the long weekend after being stationed for seven days in the community of Lac La Biche.

At one point during their time in the community there were 14 wildfires burning in the area, seven considered out of control, according to the local Lakeland Today website.

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Deputy station chief Jim Fus says the community and its firefighters were happy to have the extra support and manpower and that he and the other Cypress guys were eager to help any way they could, which included the community’s FireSmart program.

“When we did get the call it was you know gung ho right we were all expecting to you know we thought we were going to be right in the heart of things like over on the west side,” he says.

“However you know, I think the guys, we just wanted to go help right and that was the biggest thing. Just to be there to help the people of that area. It’s a little bit different down here from our grass experience going to a bush scenario but just overall the guys were just like, ‘yeah let’s go, let’s do this, let’s help out,'”

Fus says he and the crew are expecting to go back to Lac La Biche in June for another week.