Skip to main content
Open this photo in gallery:

A firefighter keeps an eye on a controlled burn as they work at building a containment line near Bodalla, Australia, on Jan. 12, 2020.Rick Rycroft/The Associated Press

The Ontario government says it’s sending nine more firefighters this week to help battle bush fires ravaging parts of Australia.

Australia is facing one of the worst bush fire seasons in recent memory and there are a couple of months of summer still to come.

Natural Resources and Forestry Minister John Yakabuski said seven people being sent today are management personnel who will help co-ordinate the fight.

Two more management staff will be sent tomorrow.

The latest addition means a total of twenty-eight firefighting staff from Ontario have been sent to Australia since the start of their fire season.

The province is sending their firefighters as part of a reciprocal agreement where countries and jurisdictions around the world send each other firefighting staff during times of high wildfire activity.

Our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.

Follow related authors and topics

Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

Interact with The Globe