logo
Adam's Cove fire deemed out, state of emergency continues in C.B.N.

Adam's Cove fire deemed out, state of emergency continues in C.B.N.

CBC08-05-2025

A wildfire that forced residents of Small Point-Adam's Cove-Blackhead-Broad Cove in Conception Bay North to flee their community has now been deemed as put out, says the community's fire chief.
Roger Gillingham, chief of the North Shore Volunteer Fire Department, told Radio-Canada that favourable weather conditions allowed several dozen firefighters to control the fire.
"Right now the only fire that we see are some instances of hot spots from some of the structures that were destroyed in the fire. And there are still some very small fires that are on the outer edges of the fire," Gillingham said at around 3 p.m. NT on Thursday. "But for the most part, the fire is certainly under control now."
Multiple water bombers and the use of nine pump trucks also helped quell the fire.
The fire prompted the town to declare a state of emergency Wednesday night, and residents of Adam's Cove north of Cave Lane, those north of Black Head Brook and those in the area south of River Loop Road in Western Bay have been told to evacuate.
Prior to declaring the fire was out, the provincial government said more than 20 structures, including homes and a warehouse housing recreational vehicles, had been affected by the fire, which the government said was 600 hectares in size.
"In some cases, it's very difficult to actually determine if there was one or two structures in a certain place. It was like an inferno that passed through," Gillingham said.
He said early estimates that at least 12 homes had been destroyed is likely close to the actual number, but it could also be larger.
The province also said the ambulance base in the Adam's Cove region has been evacuated as a precaution. Ambulances have been relocated north to Old Perlican, the update said.
Gillingham says it's too early to know when people might be able to return to their homes. The next steps involve working with Newfoundland Power to assess damage and to get the electricity back on safely, he said.
Adam's Cove resident Pauline White told CBC News the situation on Wednesday was frantic.
She and a friend attempted to get to her sister's home in the early hours of the evacuation, but quickly found the route impassable.
"We quickly became engulfed in flames and smoke. The dog was going crazy and it was like, 'no, we can't make it. We've got to back out,'" White said
White reversed, but found another impassable road.
Unable to drive the truck to safety, she says she and her friend got on their ATVs raced down a trail behind Adam's Cove.
"So we basically drove through fire," she said.
Arriving at her sister's home, they found fire everywhere. Everyone got out safely.
White says she's since been back to her own home, and while it's still standing there are scorch marks around her house and garage.
"It is Armageddon," said White.
The scene in the community reminds her of the 2016 fire in Fort McMurray, which her brother and his family experienced.
For now, White is staying with a friend, and at least three of her cats are alright but she hasn't seen two others. She says she's frustrated because of unreliable cell service in the area.
"As a matter of fact, I still can't call my family and let them know we're OK and that the house is still fine," she said.
Homes destroyed
Meanwhile, the town's mayor says he doesn't know the full extent of the damage.
"There's a lot of anxiety, a lot of uncertainty right now. And we don't even know exactly which homes have been lost. We know general areas," Mayor Curtis Delaney said.
He says there's been no report of injuries, and a lot of the fire was contained overnight. There's still a number of active areas where firefighters are hoping to knock down on Thursday.
"As things get cleaned up and hotspots within the community itself are put out, you know, we'll have a better idea of exactly the damage that's done," he said.
He says some evacuees have gone to stay with family and friends, but the town is also using the local community centre and a school as evacuation centres.
"I've had a number of people even this morning now, wondering now, 'Do I have a house? Is my house still standing,'" he said.
The community has a population of around 400 but he says there are also seasonal residents.
"It's heartbreaking to see the damage that a fire can do in such a short period of time."
He says it's not safe for residents to return and told people to get information from the town's Facebook page.
Delaney says every year they're dealing with drier conditions and a greater chance of fires.
"All it takes is a spark and it could be my home just as well as anyone else's. It really hits home when it's your area and people that you know," he said.
Frank Reynolds, a town councillor, says the last day has been devastating for the community, but everyone came together to help one another.
"Everyone's affected. I don't know what's lost, I can't answer that, but it's a devastating time in this community," said Reynolds.
Reynolds says the water bombers saved Blackhead and the surrounding area.
Sue Rose, who is also a town councillor, says it was a difficult night, and while a few families have lost their homes, everyone is safe.
"The firefighters came from all over and the RCMP were just fantastic. They took control and made sure everyone was not entering Adam's Cove," said Rose.
Gerry Rogers says the water bombers hadn't been able to fly due to the fog earlier in the day, but they were eventually able to get into the air.
"I think this is a direct result of climate change," she said.
Power out
According to the province's active wildfire dashboard, the fire at Adam's Cove is 15 hectares. Another fire burning at Harding's Pond in Holyrood is one hectare. Both are burning out of control.
But CBC meteorologist Ashley Brauweiler says there is some good news in the day's forecast.
"Today's relative humidity is quite high compared to yesterday, and showers are expected this afternoon and evening," she said. "The winds shift northeasterly tomorrow between 20-30 km/h with a big drop in temperatures, which should help — along with the chance of showers again tomorrow."
The province said conditions are favourable to help suppress the fire on Thursday.
Environment Canada has issued a special air quality statement for the northern Avalon Peninsula, because of the fires.
"Reduced air quality can be expected along the path of the plumes," reads the statement. "Winds today and tonight will be predominately from the southwest, which should move the majority of the smoke out to sea."
There are also fires in Fermeuse and Joe's Lake, northwest of Badger, that are under control.
The RCMP has closed route 70 between Adam's Cove and Western Bay and police are asking people to head south toward Victoria or north toward Lower Island Cove.
Cabot Academy in Western Bay and Persalvic School Complex in Victoria are also closed.
There is also a power outage in the areas around Kingston and Ochre Pit Cove, affecting approximately 230 customers. Newfoundland Power took the power offline on Wednesday.
Volunteers rally
There are evacuation centres at Persalvic Elementary School in Victoria, the AYLA building on Crutches Road in Lower Island Cove and the Salem Community Centre in Small Point.
Janessa Wheeler, a volunteer at the AYLA building, says last night around 10 people came to the centre, as well as pets like budgie birds, cats and dogs.
She says the residents are in shock and don't know if they have homes to go back to.
"It's devastating and it's sad," said Wheeler.
There were many people dropping by to help with food and other donations like toiletries, she says, and local restaurants donated food for breakfast.
"It warms my heart to know that there's people out there willing to do this. You don't know what to expect. You don't know when to expect anything coming."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Cranberry Portage to begin re-entry following wildfire evacuation
Cranberry Portage to begin re-entry following wildfire evacuation

CTV News

time24 minutes ago

  • CTV News

Cranberry Portage to begin re-entry following wildfire evacuation

CTV's Taylor Brock has more on the struggle for wildfire evacuees to find accommodations. A Manitoba community evacuated due to wildfires has a re-entry plan in place for the weekend. The RM of Kelsey announced Wednesday it is planning to allow re-entry to the community of Cranberry Portage starting Saturday at 8 a.m. The community posted on its Facebook page that residents should ensure they have stocked up on groceries and have all their belongings packed before they return. The RM says Hydro and telephones are functioning normally and testing of water and sewage has been completed to ensure water is safe to drink and use. According to the province's fire bulletin, a fire south of Cranberry Portage is 4,920 hectares in size and considered out of control. There are 25 active wildfires burning in Manitoba as of Wednesday.

Sask. encouraging residents to come forward with information regarding intentionally set wildfires
Sask. encouraging residents to come forward with information regarding intentionally set wildfires

CTV News

time2 hours ago

  • CTV News

Sask. encouraging residents to come forward with information regarding intentionally set wildfires

An orange-coloured haze, resulting from a nearby wildfire, is seen on a helipad in La Ronge, Sask., in an undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, *MANDATORY CREDIT* Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) president Marlo Pritchard says investigators have determined that 80 wildfires in the province this year were started by humans, with approximately 30 of those set intentionally. Pritchard says the SPSA and police are asking for the public's assistance to help identify individuals that have intentionally set wildfires. 'Of those [intentionally set fires] we have had four in the Prince Albert area in the past number of days and so again we would ask members of the public to call your local police service or Crime Stoppers,' he said. RCMP have already laid two arson charges, including against those believed responsible for starting the Ditch02 fire in the Weyakwin area that forced multiple evacuations. Pritchard says the SPSA can confirm 290 structures have been lost to the fires, with the possibility of that number climbing to 400 once more investigations are done. The SPSA also revised its provincial fire ban on Tuesday at 5 p.m. According to Pritchard, the provincial ban now only applies to the Northern Provincial Forest up to the Churchill River. Minimal to no fire growth Favourable weather conditions including rainfall has allowed firefighters to more directly attack flames over the past few days. That is also allowing some evacuees to return home. 'We are turning a corner, we are seeing that the fire activity has been relatively stable over the past few days. There has not been any significant growth and we've also seen and been informed that there is numerous communities either preparing for or have repatriated back to their communities,' Pritchard said. According to Pritchard, Birch Portage evacuees returned home June 9 and Little Bear Lake, Moosehorn and Timber Bay evacuees are returning home on Wednesday. Meanwhile, residents of Hall Lake, Brabant Lake, Nemeiben Lake, Sucker River, Wadin Bay, English Bay, Sikachu, Clam Crossing, Lac la Ronge Indian Band, La Ronge, Air Ronge, Napatak, Eagle Point, Lamp Lake, Rabbit Creek, Potato Lake and priority one and two individuals in Stanley Mission are all expected to return home in the next day or so, according to Pritchard. 'As the repatriation efforts continue, we will work with community leaders to support those that are being supported by SPSA to safely return to their communities in the coming days,' he said. Pritchard says as of Wednesday, there is still approximately 10,000 or more people still evacuated. The SPSA says there are 23 active wildfires in Saskatchewan on Wednesday. Six are listed as not contained and two with fire crews protecting values and property. The Shoe fire remains the largest in the province at approximately 550,000 hectares, according to the SPSA. The fire is one of the six still considered not contained but the SPSA says it has not significantly grown over the past few days. Crews remain focused on finding hot spots within the fire's perimeter and continuing to be stationed on the fire's west end to protect nearby communities. The Pisew fire near La Ronge has also not significantly grown since the area received about 22 millimetres of rain over the weekend. That is allowing about 7,000 evacuees to return home in the coming days. According to the SPSA the Pisew fire is at 181,000 hectares on Wednesday. More information can be found here.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store