A 'sigh of relief' as conditions for battling Churchill Falls fire improves, says minister

CBC

6 hours ago

A fire east of Churchill Falls continues to burn Friday morning, but the provincial government says weather is improving and should help the effort to fight it.
As of Friday afternoon, the Newfoundland and Labrador active wildfire dashboard shows the fire located near Churchill Falls is estimated to be roughly 170 hectares — the same size recorded on Thursday.
The latest dashboard update indicates the fire is "being held" as the response continues.
Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture Minister Lisa Dempster said firefighting crews will get some help from the weather.
"We have good news this morning on the fire. I know that residents in the area, and our crews that are on the ground and in other resources, are breathing a sigh of relief," she told CBC Radio's Labrador Morning.
Her morning report on the fire said the area received overnight precipitation and it's a clear morning. She said the forecast for the next few days is favourable with low temperatures and light wind.
"Everything that we need to try to get, you know, get all of this under control," said Dempster.
'Things are really dry'
Happy Valley-Goose Bay Mayor George Andrews said he saw the flames near Churchill Falls and saw how quickly it could spread. He said if the wind had blown the other way, it would have been a more serious situation for the town.
"The flames at times were almost as high as the steel transmission line poles that are there," he said.
"It was very serious and kind of scary because it brought back what had happened last summer and what has happened across Labrador over many years."
He said his community is being proactive about bringing in mitigation measures, such as implementing a fire ban.
WATCH | Terry Roberts reports live from Churchill Falls:
Rain bringing relief to Churchill Falls firefighting efforts
19 days ago
Duration 3:06
A wildfire has been burning near Churchill Falls since Wednesday, but favourable weather conditions and the firefighting effort have led to positive developments. The CBC's Terry Roberts shared an update on Friday morning.
"Things are really dry," he said.
He added there wasn't a lot of snow in the region during the winter and not a lot of moisture in the woods, and people are still "hyper-sensitive" over last summer's wildfires.
"We prepare as best we can," said Andrews.
Andrews said the town is as ready as it can be for an emergency situation and he hopes the weather will co-operate when it comes to putting out the fires.
While he doesn't want people to be alarmed, they've been told to prepare go-bags with their essential items, and to be ready to leave with their vehicles gassed.
People can get information on the town's website and Facebook page, he said.
Air quality
The provincial fire rating hazard map ranks many parts of the province as at moderate to high risk for wildfires. The Churchill Falls area remains at a very high risk, while the Labrador City region is in the yellow, meaning high risk. The region just east of Happy Valley-Goose Bay sits at extreme.
Environment Canada has special air quality statement in effect for the Churchill Falls vicinity.
"Smoke conditions may vary locally as wind and fire behaviour changes," it states.
A period of wet weather is expected to start on Saturday and continue for several days, which could help fire fighting efforts.
Second fire burning
A second fire also ignited in western Labrador on Thursday in the area of Faden Siding by the Menihek Lakes, approximately 150 kilometres north of Labrador City. As of Friday morning, the provincial wildfire map calculates its area at an estimated 1,875 hectares.
Craig Coady, the forestry department's wildfire program director, said they are currently monitoring the fire.
"The good thing about the location of that fire, at the moment right now, is that there aren't any values at risk," Coady told CBC News on Thursday evening.
"So there isn't any significant infrastructure — homes, cabins, you know, those types of things — in that area. So right now we're not too concerned with that fire."
There is a fire burning on Newfoundland's west coast but it is under control.
Need resources
Wabush Mayor Ron Barron said he's worried about a lack of fire fighting resources in the region, something he's seen dwindle over the years.
"I have to stress as a community leader, in the past we've had resources here on the ground. You know, just the local forestry department had, I think, five full-time people," he told CBC Radio's Labrador Morning on Thursday.
He said it's now down to two people in the area.
Barron said a water bomber was stationed at the Wabush airport for 30 years, which is no longer the case.
Last year Wabush was on stand-by when Labrador City was evacuated due to wildfires.
"Fires are unpredictable. We've seen that here in 2013. We've seen it again here in 2024," said Barron.
"The only thing that puts fires out is boots on the ground and resources in the air to help combat those fires. You can have all the signs you want but Mother Nature don't comply with that, sometimes, and she does her own thing."
Since Thursday the town has been under a boil water advisory.