B.C. firefighting bill could reach $300 million to $400 million, says premier

[five_alarm]

The cost of fighting this season's unprecedented number of major forest fires could reach between $300 million and $400 million, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said Tuesday. That's upwards of six times more than the $55.5 million set aside in the provincial budget for battling wildfires this year. "We'll have the money to pay for it," Campbell told reporters. "We have $170 million in the contingency; we have a $500-million forecast allowance." The bill will continue to rise with money going to fight flames in hard-hit areas as long as it is needed, Campbell said.

Source: Canadian Press... (http://www.firehall.com/cgi-bin/refer?url=http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=1ebc0b8a-f568-4465-af12-53a553ff5689&s=58820811.2008036&linkid=175&parent=news)