Firefighters to battle huge blaze

FIGHTING FIT: Whangarei and Kaipara principal rural fire officer Kevin Ihaka has arrived in Canada and is ready to help fight wildfires cutting a swathe across part of Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Colombia, as well as in Alaska. PHOTO/FILE

Two Northlanders among 16 Kiwi firefighters who flew to Canada to help battle a major forest fire were expected to arrive at their destination last night.

The principal rural fire officer for Whangarei and Kaipara, Kevin Ihaka, and Diane Sanderson, of the Department of Conservation's Dargaville office, flew from Auckland on Tuesday for an initial 35-day deployment.

The firefighters arrived at High Level Airport in Alberta yesterday morning (NZ time) before heading north towards the fire. They are expected to start work this morning.

The Edmonton wildfires have forced thousands of people to evacuate and thick smoke has triggered air-quality warnings across the country and into the United States.

Mr Ihaka's job would be operations' manager while Ms Sanderson would work as the logistics manager.

He will perform some management and firefighting duties but reckons most of his time will be spent behind computers and in meetings.

About 800,000 hectares of forest are burning across the states of Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Colombia, as well as in Alaska.