Foreign Correspondent: Aug 24

Foreign Correspondent is on point this week with an episode looking at wildfires in Canada.

David Lipson is on the ground as fire crews from around the world, including Australia, battle blazes.

Canada is in the grip of the worst forest fires in recorded history. In recent days, tens of thousands of people in British Columbia were evacuated, as the Canadian government deployed its armed forces to deal with the crisis. Most residents of Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories have also fled their homes. An area of almost 14 million hectares has been scorched by more than 6,000 separate wildfires burning all over the country since late April. Almost 5,000 thousand international firefighters have already been flown in – including several hundred Australians.

This week Foreign Correspondent travels to British Columbia and Alberta where a desperate battle is underway to save lives and homes. Reporter David Lipson goes inside the fireground to see firsthand how a nation better known for snow and ice is coping with the fire catastrophe. He meets the Canadian smoke jumpers who parachute into difficult terrain to fight fire fronts in remote locations. He also spends time in the makeshift camps that have become home to fire crews from around the world including the Australians – many of whom are veterans of Australia’s Black Summer. The comradery within the camps helps with the challenges of the difficult work they face and when the Australians leave to face their own summer fire season, they know the Canadians will be ready and willing to return the favour.

8pm Thursday on ABC.

Updated.