Council to Reimburse London Firefighters Assisting in Fort Mac Relief Efforts
City councillors say they will reimburse the London firefighters who made the trek out west to support Fort McMurray relief efforts.
All five members utilized their own holiday time and fundraising to make this trip possible.
On Tuesday, councillors agreed to cover the cost of their airplane tickets which is approximately $3,500.
The firefighters teamed up with a group called GlobalFire in Edmonton to help residents displaced by the massive blaze.
The crew left on Sunday, May 15th and will be returning home on Sunday, May 22nd.
In London, AM980’s sister station 1031 Fresh FM will be holding a fundraising drive at the corner of Wellington Road and King Street Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Everyone who contributes will have their name entered into a draw to see Justin Bieber’s sold out show at the Air Canada Centre on Thursday night in Toronto.
All of the proceeds will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross.
Meanwhile, an oilsands work camp north of Fort McMurray was destroyed by a wildfire that continues to ravage the region.
Three other work camps, which provide lodging for Alberta oilsands workers, were at risk due to the wildfire that, as of Tuesday morning, measured 355,000 hectares in size.
The Blacksand Executive Lodge, which provides accommodations to oilsands workers north of Fort McMurray, was destroyed by fire, Notley confirmed Tuesday. About 665 units were lost in the blaze.
“Horizon North’s top priority is the safety of our guests and employees,” Rod Graham, president and CEO of Horizon North, said. “We safely evacuated Blacksand Executive Lodge as per our Emergency Response Plan and every guest and staff member is safe and accounted for.”
“The facilities have been evacuated safely,” Scott Long, executive director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, said.
Tuesday afternoon, flames made their way closer to the Noralta Lodge, which s located about 15 kilometres south of Fort MacKay on Austra Road. However, the lodge took to Twitter at around 2:30 p.m. to say the village was not currently on fire.
With files from Caley Ramsay – Web Producer – Global News
Source: AM980 | Council to Reimburse London Firefighters Assisting in Fort Mac Relief Efforts
