
Adam's Cove fire contained, state of emergency continues in C.B.N.
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 contained, says the provincial forest fire duty officer.
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 contained, 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.
Provincial forest fire duty officer Jeff Motty told CBC News later Thursday afternoon that the fire's perimeter was 50 per cent contained.
"With 50 per cent of the perimeter contained, we're comfortable in stating the fact that we don't expect that fire perimeter to grow," he said.
"We can really start working within the perimeter on the edges of it. You know, just go around, identify hot spots, and continue to put them out and suppress that."
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."
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CTV News
an hour ago
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Forestry minister says more federal funding would make a big difference in wildfire preparedness, prevention
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There's a lot of fire in the landscape right now, and with the high winds we've been having, they've been growing exponentially as well. MH: Whether it's the northwest or anywhere else, how would you frame the start of wildfire season in our province and the degree to which it's testing Alberta's ability to respond? TL: The first three weeks of May wasn't that bad. We had a high number of fires, but we were able to get on them quick, and weather conditions allowed us to control those fires pretty quickly. But the last week of May and into June, the lightning came through, and it has a static capacity. As far as our firefighting ability, we've been bringing in resources from other provinces and from other states, and soon here we'll be bringing in people from outside the country, some American crews, Australians as well, maybe even Costa Rica, maybe Mexico. We'll see who has firefighters to spare. We're working through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, and they arranged a lot of our people to come in and help from around the world and across the country. MH: Other provinces, including Ontario, now have requested assistance from the federal government. Where is Alberta in that queue? Is it in the queue? TL: The only help we've ever had from the feds, really, has been when we use the military, and of course, they do provide some funding along the way, too. It'd be nice to see more and more help from the feds. We send a lot of money to Ottawa that they distribute. It'd be nice to have a lot of that coming back to Alberta and helping with the firefighting situation. MH: What degree of communication do you have with the minister of emergency management and community resilience, newly elected Alberta MP Eleanor Olszewski, and how do those communications compare with dynamics that played out in the wake of that destructive fire in Jasper last year? TL: I haven't communicated directly, but that communication might be going on through our emergency services minister, Minister (Mike) Ellis. I reached out to Manitoba, the minister there, talking about the situation they have there. Earlier in the season, we were actually providing help to Manitoba and to Ontario, because we were a little on the slower side early in May, but now we need our resources back, and so they've all moved back home. Now we're asking for help from across the country and around the world. MH: We set up the conversation on expanding calls for a national fire service. The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs says we're the only G7 country without a national fire administration. Where does Alberta's government stand on those calls? TL: We haven't come up with anything particular that we want to focus on when it comes to that strategy. We know that we have a good organization here, Alberta Wildfire does great work, we have good personnel here. When it comes to resources, I think that's where we could use some help from the feds. Again, we transfer a lot of money to Ottawa and Ottawa doesn't transfer that much back. If they could transfer some of that back to help us with our fighting wildfire, that'd be appreciated. MH: Fighting wildfires, that is a provincial responsibility, isn't it? TL: Yes, it is. Other than the national parks. MH: OK, so how different an approach do you see the federal government needing to take to this whole conversation? What or could that involvement look like to come from the feds? TL: We'll be in further conversations as time goes forward, but as it is right now, we could use the resources, the financial resources, to be able to bring in the help that we need. The federal government right now, they're not set up to fight fire at all right now –other than Parks Canada; they have their own firefighting abilities and crews and things like that. The provinces have that. 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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Forestry minister says more federal funding would make a big difference in wildfire preparedness, prevention
Minister of Forestry and Parks, Todd Loewen, speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the wildfire situation in the province. Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the wildfire situation in the province. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Michael Higgins: Evacuation orders have been expanded in the County of Grande Prairie, as well now as the Municipal District of Greenview. What's that say about conditions up in your corner of the province? Todd Loewen: It's definitely dry and we've had quite a bit of lightning that came through earlier that created a bunch of fires. And with high winds that we've been having, it's a perfect scenario for these forest fires to ignite and to grow, and that's the problem. There's a lot of fire in the landscape right now, and with the high winds we've been having, they've been growing exponentially as well. MH: Whether it's the northwest or anywhere else, how would you frame the start of wildfire season in our province and the degree to which it's testing Alberta's ability to respond? TL: The first three weeks of May wasn't that bad. We had a high number of fires, but we were able to get on them quick, and weather conditions allowed us to control those fires pretty quickly. But the last week of May and into June, the lightning came through, and it has a static capacity. As far as our firefighting ability, we've been bringing in resources from other provinces and from other states, and soon here we'll be bringing in people from outside the country, some American crews, Australians as well, maybe even Costa Rica, maybe Mexico. We'll see who has firefighters to spare. We're working through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, and they arranged a lot of our people to come in and help from around the world and across the country. MH: Other provinces, including Ontario, now have requested assistance from the federal government. Where is Alberta in that queue? Is it in the queue? TL: The only help we've ever had from the feds, really, has been when we use the military, and of course, they do provide some funding along the way, too. It'd be nice to see more and more help from the feds. We send a lot of money to Ottawa that they distribute. It'd be nice to have a lot of that coming back to Alberta and helping with the firefighting situation. MH: What degree of communication do you have with the minister of emergency management and community resilience, newly elected Alberta MP Eleanor Olszewski, and how do those communications compare with dynamics that played out in the wake of that destructive fire in Jasper last year? TL: I haven't communicated directly, but that communication might be going on through our emergency services minister, Minister (Mike) Ellis. I reached out to Manitoba, the minister there, talking about the situation they have there. Earlier in the season, we were actually providing help to Manitoba and to Ontario, because we were a little on the slower side early in May, but now we need our resources back, and so they've all moved back home. Now we're asking for help from across the country and around the world. MH: We set up the conversation on expanding calls for a national fire service. The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs says we're the only G7 country without a national fire administration. Where does Alberta's government stand on those calls? TL: We haven't come up with anything particular that we want to focus on when it comes to that strategy. We know that we have a good organization here, Alberta Wildfire does great work, we have good personnel here. When it comes to resources, I think that's where we could use some help from the feds. Again, we transfer a lot of money to Ottawa and Ottawa doesn't transfer that much back. If they could transfer some of that back to help us with our fighting wildfire, that'd be appreciated. MH: Fighting wildfires, that is a provincial responsibility, isn't it? TL: Yes, it is. Other than the national parks. MH: OK, so how different an approach do you see the federal government needing to take to this whole conversation? What or could that involvement look like to come from the feds? TL: We'll be in further conversations as time goes forward, but as it is right now, we could use the resources, the financial resources, to be able to bring in the help that we need. The federal government right now, they're not set up to fight fire at all right now –other than Parks Canada; they have their own firefighting abilities and crews and things like that. The provinces have that. If the feds wanted to get in, if they were to help pay for some of the expenses that we have, that would be a big help. And again, we have the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre that we work with. That's a great organization that really does help link us up to resources. MH: We're only approaching mid-June, many weeks left. How concerned are you about where this wildfire season is headed? TL: Always concerned. You never know what the weather is going to bring and what's going to happen. The majority of our issues right now were started by a band of dry lightning that moved through the province and followed by 30-degree temperatures and high winds. If we can avoid situations like that throughout the rest of summer, we might not be in too bad of shape, but we already have enough hectares on fire right now that we do have a long summer ahead of us, working on getting those fires extinguished.