News24 reports that Canada will be receiving the aid of 301 South African firefighters who will assist the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) with their fire suppression efforts in the province of Alberta.  

"CIFFC have sent a formal request for assistance to their international partners including Working on Fire.  This deployment of wildland firefighters is the biggest South African deployment ever outside of the army to assist a foreign country,” a statement from Working on Fire indicates.  Firefighters will be leaving on Sunday on a Canadian Airways plane chartered by Canada.  In April, Working on Fire held a deployment boot camp in Gauteng to prepare 400 South African firefighters for deployment and to meet international standards.

• Read this report by Lizeka Tandwa in full at News24

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