B.C. firefighter pitches in to battle blazes Down Under

VICTORIA — If it weren’t for the families dropping off treats to the fire control centre, Dec. 25 might have felt like just another work day to Eric Antifaeff, a B.C. firefighter spending the holidays helping to battle Australia’s deadly wildfires.

He spent his Christmas Day Down Under travelling to a control centre in the small town of Wauchope, on Australia’s east coast between Sydney and Brisbane. A light rain dampened fires somewhat, and many firefighters had the day off, though not Antifaeff. The 40 C weather on Dec. 25 was new to Antifaeff, who is from Kamloops. He’s used to snowy Christmases at the ski hill. Instead, he was invited to a pool party and a game of cricket to celebrate the holiday, but he couldn’t make it.

Australian firefighters came to B.C.’s aid during busy seasons in 2017 and 2018, and this is the first time Australia has asked for help from Canada since 2009.Australia has roughly 1,100 firefighters working to extinguish the fires, according to the province. The majority of firefighters working in rural areas are volunteers, Antifaeff said.In Canada, Antifaeff works year-round with the provincial wildfire service in training and recruitment, and spends most of his summers fighting fires.

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