EDMONTON — It's hot, gruelling and dangerous work with few breaks and virtually no shut-eye — and firefighters from across the province are lining up to do it. EDMONTON — It's hot, gruelling and dangerous work with few breaks and virtually no shut-eye — and firefighters from across the province are lining up to do it. Strathcona County, east of Edmonton, is rotating two, 15-member crews to help battle the enormous wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alta. The first batch left Sherwood Park on Tuesday night and have been working virtually flat-out since they arrived in the wee hours Wednesday. The were set to head home on Thursday night. The Strathcona fire department tweeted a photo of six firefighters sprawled on a lawn in Fort McMurray, with another reclining in the trunk of a van.

Our crew taking their first rest since leaving #shpk yesterday evening. #ymmfirepic.twitter.com/a2iBdU1xhg — Strathcona Fire (@StrathconaFire) May 4, 2016

Deputy operations chief Devin Capcara said the picture was taken at about 2 p.m. on Wednesday during their first bit of rest. "They took about a 15 to 20 minute break and then went right back to it," he said. "Being there, knowing that things are burning, our guys don't like to take rest breaks so they've pretty much been on the trucks the whole time." The fire crews are based out of staging areas big enough to park trucks and set up tents and are out of the fire's path — often a school or a recreation centre. Capcara said many of his members are based at a truck stop on the outskirts of the city. With no kitchen amenities to speak of, food options are limited.