Firefighters from P.E.I., N.S. and Maine arriving to battle wildfires in N.B.
Minister of Natural Resources John Herron confirmed Monday that provincial fire teams are expecting the help of 30 firefighters total — 20 from P.E.I., five from Nova Scotia. and another five from Maine.
"We made a request for 60, so we're already halfway there," Herron said in an interview Monday morning. "We're very heartened that [our] neighbours have have stepped up and offered help to us."
Herron and Premier Susan Holt will hold a news conference today at 3:30 p.m. to update the public on the wildfires. The news conference will be livestreamed here. Public Safety Minister Robert Gauvin and wildfire prevention officer Roger Collet will also be answering questions,
The Natural Resources Department could not confirm when crews from other jurisdictions would arrive to help, only that they will be deployed to either of the fires near Moncton or Miramichi depending on how they evolve.
"We're usually the ones who actually send firefighters to other jurisdictions," Herron said. "For the first time, unprecedented, we've actually asked for boots on the ground here in New Brunswick."
The province currently has two water bombers out on loan in Newfoundland, Herron said, which it recently sent to help battle wildfires there. But the province has borrowed two from Quebec that are supplementing resources.
"We have two that are actually larger on loan for us to contest the wildfire in Oldfield," he said, referencing the fire near Miramichi that began Wednesday.
Herron said the province also requested a Canadair CL-415, a large water bomber plane with a scoop to pick up water.
While the province has received help through aerial supports like water bombers in the past, according to Herron, this is the first time it's made a formal request for help.
Moncton community preparing for potential evacuation
Residents in Maple Hills, a rural community outside of Moncton, were warned on Sunday that they may need to evacuate their communities.
"We haven't hit that threshold where we have to ask people to move." Herron said Monday. "If we feel that homes or people are at risk, that's the trigger."
Provincial and municipal fire teams resumed their efforts to fight the fire there Monday around 6 a.m after taking a break overnight on Sunday, according to the community's Facebook page.
According to the province's fire dashboard, the fire status remains out of control, and the size had reached at least 54 hectares.
Herron said the province is focusing most of its resources on that area because of the large number of homes nearby.
"This is the first fire that we've had that is still considered to be out of control that is near structures," he said.
The potential evacuation zone near Moncton includes Weisner Road, Cape Breton Road, Lakeville and Lakeside Estates Mini Home Park, an area that the province estimates include 900 structures, most of which are homes.
The community of Maple Hills directed its residents to check the New Brunswick Measures Organization Facebook page for information on a potential evacuation notice.
Miramichi remains 'out of control' but being 'steered'
The blaze, about 15 kilometres north of Miramichi, is still burning out of control as of Monday morning, according to Mayor Adam Lordon.
According to the province's fire dashboard, the fire on Oldfield Road spans 340 hectares.
Crews have been able to navigate the fire from spreading near homes but they are not able to get "out in front of it at this point in time."
"So far, it's being steered away from structures," Herron said in an interview with CBC's Information Morning on Monday.
In typical conditions, firefighting crews have about 30 minutes to be able to combat a fire that has just started, Herron said. But in these extreme dry conditions, the amount of time crews have reduces dramatically.
"Right now, we need to be there within five or 10 minutes."
Some residents near Miramichi were asked to evacuate the area last week, and 15 more homes are now on standby for a potential evacuation notice, Lordon said.
People living in the city, further away from the fire, are also vigilant.
"People understand that there's no imminent threat to their home at this time," he said. "They're concerned about the fact that it's out of control."
Lordon suggests residents download the Voyent Alert app, which is free in any app store and used by municipalities across Canada to send notifications to residents in an emergency.
Herron said crews have contained a fire that was burning out of control in Canterbury, a former village in York County.
He added there are currently a total of 12 active fires across the province, but that "the vast majority" have been deemed under control and are being monitored so none of the embers comes alive again.
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