Dancing South African Fire Fighters Arrive In Canada To Help Fight The Blaze
The team of 200 arrived in Canadian province Alberta to assist in fighting the country's current wildfire crisis.
A video showing a group of 200 South African firemen and officials dancing and singing as they arrive in Canada to help the country battle its current wildfire crisis has gone viral. The ensemble broke into song and dance to communicate their experience and feelings towards the humanitarian mission, and potential excitement for the opportunity. The video, posted Monday by Allyssa Boulianne, has garnered worldwide attention with many praising the traveling humanitarians for their bravery and talent. Canada is currently battling wildfires across the country that have displaced thousands and burned through millions of hectares of land.
In the video posted to Facebook, we hear the crew flaunt their flawless harmonization skills and wave their flag proudly as they perform for hotel staff and guests. According to Boulianne, she had seen videos of the cohort performing at the airport upon their arrival the day prior and was ecstatic to get to experience the special, culturally defining moment in Leduc, just south of Alberta's capital, Edmonton. “It was pretty cool, the culture is so different it was a really cool experience,” she said. “It’s humbling, just to see everyone come together, for them to come and help out another country that was amazing.”
Upon their Canadian arrival last week, the group was captured singing and dancing as they waited for their luggage at Edmonton's airport. Account 'Working on Fire' shared videos of the team partaking in jubilant choreography as they carried their luggage through the halls. Canadian social media users were quick to show their gratitude with many sending well wishes and thanks to the team. "Bless every one of them. I'm sorry we had to call, but so so grateful they answered,", said one user.
We hope the circumstances surrounding this deployment are better. In 2016, 301 South African firefighters were sent to Canada to help them fight wildfires, however, many left halfway through due to pay disputes. They were, once again, helping fight fighters in Edmonton when the group discovered that they were being paid less than their Canadian counterparts.