Ontario sending 9 more firefighters to Australia to battle wildfires

The Ontario government says it's sending nine more firefighters this week to help battle bush fires ravaging parts of Australia.

Australia is facing one of the worst bush fire seasons in recent memory and there are a couple of months of summer still to come.

Natural Resources and Forestry Minister John Yakabuski said seven people being sent Thursday are management personnel who will help co-ordinate the fight.

Two more management staff will be sent Friday.

The latest addition means a total of 28 firefighting staff from Ontario have been sent to Australia since the start of their fire season.

The province is sending their firefighters as part of a reciprocal agreement where countries and jurisdictions around the world send each other firefighting staff during times of high wildfire activity.