Fire Services from the MD of Foothills are ready to head north and help extingush the fire in Fort McMurray. MD Fire Chief Jim Smith says they are on the list with provincial operations to send fire crews and additional equipment.

"We're looking at being available to the Provincial Operations Centre for resources such as apparatus and firefighters if they need it. So, we've already talked to them and we've put ourself on the list and we're able to send some crews up with Okotoks and High River Fire."

Smith says he's hoping local will be able to help out, but it depends on the needs of the Provincial Operations Centre and the Fort McMurray Fire Department. He says the first priority is taking care of the people who have been evacuated.

"They want to make sure they take care of life safety. Once life safety is taken care of, people are taken care of, then what they should be looking at after that is actually extinguishing the fire. So it is going to take them some time to actually extinguish the fire that currently is going on there."

Smith says conditions remain dry in the Foothills as well, so local detachments continue to prepare.

"All our resources are in place and we're ready to respond, just because conditions are so dry. We're doing some extra training, some extra resource development."

High River Fire Chief Len Zebedee says they too are ready to send a pumper truck and a crew of five north as well, if needed.

He says they can't "self deploy" but have to be asked by the Province.

He can't say for sure his crew will get the call to head north, but says if they do they'll be ready to go on short notice.

Smith says about one quarter of Fort McMurray is gone, including buildings and infrastrucure. MD of Willow Creek Fire Crew 5 from around Claresholm is already on the scene.

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