Foreign Correspondent on ABC TV – Canada is in the grip of the worst forest fires in recorded history.
An area of 13 million hectares has been scorched by more than 5,000 separate wildfires burning all over the country.
To help with the ongoing emergency almost 5,000 thousand international firefighters have been flown in – including several hundred Australians.
This week Foreign Correspondent travels to British Columbia and Alberta where a desperate battle is underway to save lives and homes.
Reporter David Lipson goes inside the fireground to see firsthand how a nation better known for snow and ice is coping with the fire catastrophe.
He meets the Canadian smoke jumpers who parachute into difficult terrain to fight fire fronts in remote locations.
He also spends time in the makeshift camps that have become home to fire crews from around the world including the Australians – many of whom are veterans of Australia’s Black Summer.
The comradery within the camps helps with the challenges of the difficult work they face and when the Australians leave to face their own summer fire season, they know the Canadians will be ready and willing to return the favour.
Foreign Correspondent – Thursday 24 August at 8.00pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
Media Release – ABC
TV Central ABC content HERE
