Canada has offered more help to Australia to fight the devastating the wildfires in that country. So far, 97 Canadian Canadian firefighters have been deployed to Australia since early December. (AAP images via AP/Darren Pateman)

Canada offers more aid to Australia to fight wildfires

Canada is offering more help to Australia to aid in the fight against the wildfires ravaging parts of that country.

Since September, the fires have killed at least 25 people and millions of animals, destroying 15.6 million acres and almost 2,000 homes in the process.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the offer in a phone call with his Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, on Tuesday.

An intentionally lit controlled fire burns intensely near Tomerong, Australia, yesterday, in an effort to contain a larger fire nearby. (Rick Rycroft/AP Photo)

According to a statement released by Trudeau’s office, the prime minister “expressed his condolences and sorrow on behalf of all Canadians for the death and destruction caused by the wildfires” as well as for “the major loss of wildlife and natural devastation.”

So far, 97 Canadians have deployed to Australia,

The first group of 21 Canadians, who arrived in Australia in early December, began returning home yesterday.

Eight new arrivals took their place.

A helicopter tackles a wildfire in East Gippsland, in Australia’s Victoria state, on Dec. 30. (State Government of Victoria)

A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said that–to this point–Australia has asked only for more people.

In 2018, Australian firefighters joined Americans, Mexicans and New Zealanders who came to Canada to help fight record fires in British Columbia.

With files from CP (Mia Rabson), CBC, CTV, Vox

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