4 Aug 2009

NZ fire staff on way to British Columbia blaze

3:10 pm on 4 August 2009

More evacuations have been ordered because of forest fires in western Canada.

Some 5000 people have already been evacuated in the west and southern regions of British Columbia.

Twenty-four firefighters from Australia and six fire managers from New Zealand have been sent to help the British Columbia Forest Service.

Fire conditions are ranked high to extreme in most forests in the province. Hundreds of fires are burning and dozens of new blazes are starting each day.