Fire support crew from Ontario arriving in Kamloops to assist firefighters

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Twenty-one support staff from Ontario are expected to arrive in Kamloops today to help fight fires across British Columbia.

Navi Saini (SANI) of the B.C. Wildfire Management Branch says they will help manage the logistics of fighting fires in the coming days.

There are 55 fires burning across the province, with three of them expected to take days to put out.

Twenty firefighters are battling a 30-square-kilometre blaze in north B.C. near Williston Lake that started Thursday.

Forty-one firefighters and six helicopters are trying to put out a six-square-kilometre fire near Quesnel, in the North Cariboo region which started Tuesday.

In northern B.C., near the Alberta border, 120 firefighters and 11 helicopters are battling a 45-square-kilometre blaze close to Tumbler Ridge sparked a week ago.

Hot, dry weather across the province have been a source of concern for fire officials.

Environment Canada says temperatures in the south coast of B.C. are expected to break records this weekend.

Temperatures in the northern half of the province are expected to break records in the coming days.