Former UPEI registrar volunteering for B.C. fire refugees

A former P.E.I. resident, now living in B.C. is part of a massive volunteer effort to help people fleeing from wildfires there.

• 11 emergency centres across B.C. scramble to help 36,600 wildfire evacuees

John DeGrace lived in P.E.I. for 20 years, and was the registrar at UPEI. He now lives in Prince George.

The area is safe from immediate fire risk at the moment, and thousands of people have arrived there after other areas were evacuated.

This is a city of volunteers.- John DeGrace

"An awful lot of people are pitching in," said DeGrace.

"For 7,000 refugees they have about 3,500 volunteers providing support to them. So this is a city of volunteers, to be frank."

DeGrace said he has friends that have taken in a family of eight. He has been cooking meals to provide to the fire refugees. With more people arriving, he expects he will will be taking people into his home soon.

While Prince George is safe at the moment, DeGrace said most people are thinking about what they will do if fires spread close to the city.

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