South Africa made the decision following a request for emergency assistance from the Canadian Forest Fire Centre under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 between the two countries. This is also the fifth deployment since the start of this agreement.

The first 200 firefighters, along with 15 managers, are scheduled to depart for Canada on June 3. The remaining 200 firefighters and 13 managers will arrive in Alberta in a week. All will stay in Canada for 35 days. The South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment confirmed that these firefighters have at least three years of experience and are in good health. Among them are women firefighters.

The western Canadian province of Alberta has experienced more than 550 wildfires this season, causing significant damage to property and infrastructure and displacing thousands of people. Due to its geographic location in the far north, Canada is warming faster than other countries in the world . In recent years, the country has been hit by a series of extreme weather events that are believed to be caused by global warming./.

Hoang Minh/VNA