Firefighters continue to tackle blazes in Newfoundland
John Hogan said Saturday was a "difficult day" as hot and windy conditions fanned the flames of the largest of the two fires in the Avalon Peninsula.
"Homes and structures were impacted... Unfortunately, we can't, based on suppression efforts and the smoke, evaluate exactly which structures have been lost at this time," the premier said during a news briefing Sunday.
Late Friday, that wildfire was reported to have destroyed nine homes in the small town of Small Point-Adam's Cove-Blackhead-Broad Cove.
Hogan said the fire that was 30 square kilometres Saturday morning had reached 50 square kilometres by Sunday afternoon. The premier said the blaze is expected to move toward Ochre Pit Cove by Sunday evening.
The premier, who spent much of the weekend in the town of Carbonear, N.L., with residents who have fled their homes, said "our hearts are with each and every one of you."
There are four air tankers attacking the northern side of the fire, the premier said, which are all the water bombers Newfoundland and Labrador has in its fleet. There is also one Bird Dog aircraft, five helicopters — two of which are from the Coast Guard — and 50 groundcrew working on fighting the blaze.
Hogan said the piece of good news he could deliver Sunday was that the wildfire in the Holyrood, N.L., area is now considered "held" at about 0.22 square kilometres. The evacuation order for this area has been lifted.
"The fire is fully contained with hose lines... crews are still working on the fire with support from local fire departments with water supplies," Hogan said.
Meanwhile, the fire near Martin Lake and Great Rattling Brook has hit about 2.55 square kilometres in size Sunday. Hogan said two waterbombers from Quebec, one Bird Dog aircraft and three air-tractors from New Brunswick are being used to support the firefighting crews.
Forestry Minister Lisa Dempster said through this "devastating" time she is seeing the goodness in humanity "that always rises to the surface in the most challenging of times" among residents.
However, she has also seen "some terrible, misleading, unfactual (social) media posts and comments that do nothing to help those people on the entire Bay de Verde Peninsula that are in a state of emergency — many that, through little cameras on their doors, watched their homes being burned."
The minister said she's had a number of people reach out to her saying they heard they are no longer permitted to walk in the woods. She found out this rumour originated on social media.
"Those people who are sharing information that they don't know whether it's true or not is not helping," she said.
Dempster noted that the province has not banned hiking, walking the woods or using ATVs.
"What we have banned is open-pit fires, fires that cause more fires. Fires that drain resources and quite frankly that are very careless and reckless right now in this devastating time in our province," she said.
Meanwhile, in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, provincial governments have implemented burn bans and restricted activity in the woods as wildfire prevention measures.
Nova Scotia has imposed a sweeping ban on activities in wooded areas in addition to its existing burn bans. In New Brunswick, where the provincial government had also earlier imposed restrictions on some forestry operations, Premier Susan Holt announced a sweeping ban Saturday covering all activities on Crown lands, although she didn't announce any potential increase in fines.
'We are in an unprecedented situation and it is getting worse,' Holt told reporters in Fredericton Saturday. 'We are here to ask all New Brunswickers to get out of the woods and to stay out of the woods.'
Minister of Natural Resources John Herron said of the seven active wildfires burning in the province Saturday, only one was currently out of control. The fire on Oldfield Road in the Bartibog area northeast of Miramichi, had rapidly grown to about 2.4 square kilometres in size and had closed a section of Route 8, he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2025.
— By Lyndsay Armstrong in Halifax.
The Canadian Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Canyon Fire 91% contained in Ventura, Los Angeles counties, authorities say
The Canyon Fire, which has torched about 5,370 acres around the border between Ventura and Los Angeles counties, is close to complete containment after firefighters made significant progress on the blaze overnight, according to authorities. Cal Fire says the fire is 91% contained as of a 5:19 a.m. update on Monday. Fire activity was minimal overnight, allowing crews to improve control lines and focus on isolated heat sources. The 960 personnel assigned to the fire will be spread out to quickly extinguish any flare-ups, Cal Fire said. High temperatures could reach to as much as 104 degrees in fire areas on Monday, with gusts of wind potentially reaching 20 miles per hour. The Canyon Fire began last Thursday in the area directly southeast of Lake Piru and west of Castaic. As many as seven structures have burned. A firefighter with Kern County Fire Department was seriously injured when his truck overturned and rolled nearly 200 feet down a hill in Castaic. He was later identified as Battalion Chief James Agee.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Newfoundland's largest wildfire continues to gain ground near Kingston
SMALL POINT-ADAM'S COVE-BLACKHEAD-BROAD COVE — Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial fire duty officer says the largest of the province's out-of-control wildfires continued to gain ground Monday amid dry, windy conditions on the Avalon Peninsula. Mark Lawlor said the fire in eastern Newfoundland started over a week ago near the coastal town of Kingston, N.L., and has since expanded to about 52 square kilometres along the northwestern shore of Conception Bay. Lawlor said it was unclear how many homes or cabins in the area have been destroyed by the Kingston fire, which started Aug. 3. "The area of the Kingston fire is very smoky, therefore visibility is limited," he said in an interview. "So it's difficult to get in and actually count the number of structures." As of Monday afternoon, there were seven active wildfires in the province – five in Newfoundland and two in Labrador. But the Kingston fire was by far the largest. As of Saturday, about 3,000 people or about 1,500 households were under a provincial evacuation order. Many of those empty household and businesses are considered too close to the Kingston fire. At Ochre Pit Cove, about 13 kilometres north of Kingston, the local Red Ochre Cafe is now a firefighting command post. Cafe owner Ray Dwyer said most of his neighbours are worried about their homes. 'It's scary for everybody,' he said in an interview. 'Everyone's evacuated and they don't know how their properties are. Half the north shore here is scorched. It's strange when you go up the road and there's not a person, not an animal. It's just pretty desolate.' The picturesque hamlet was evacuated last Monday. Dwyer, who has managed the cafe for six years, said his 13 local employees are out of a job, and electricity in the area has been cut off. 'I had five great big freezers full and I have to go throw it away,' he said. 'The worst part about it is my employees have no income. It's got me killed that I can't help them.' Meanwhile, Dwyer said local firefighters have had to deal with very thick smoke. 'The fire departments have had their asses worked off here, and hats off to all the volunteers,' he said, adding that the area was hit by wildfires in May. 'All of these firefighters are volunteers.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2025. The Canadian Press
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
No campfires or bonfires allowed as fire ban takes effect across Prince Edward Island
All open fires, including campfires and bonfires, are now banned across Prince Edward Island as drought-like conditions raise the risk of wildfires across the province and much of Atlantic Canada. In a news release Monday, the provincial government said Environment, Energy and Climate Action Minister Gilles Arsenault had issued the order banning all outdoor burning on private property and at provincial parks and campgrounds. "With forest fires burning in other provinces and the hot dry weather continuing in P.E.I., we need to take every possible step to keep residents and our forests safe," Arsenault was quoted as saying in the news release. Domestic brush burning remains prohibited. Existing permits for industrial and agricultural burns are now revoked, regardless of weather conditions, the release said. Charcoal and propane barbecues are still allowed, but officials urge people lighting them to use caution. That includes ensuring used briquettes are fully extinguished and disposed of safely. Violations under the Forest Fire Prevention Act can lead to fines of up to $50,000, plus victims of crime surcharges. Anyone found responsible for causing a fire may also be liable for all resulting damages. On Saturday, Parks Canada said a fire ban would be imposed at all Prince Edward Island National Park sites effective Sunday to reduce wildfire risk during the current dry spell. Wider regional restrictions The ban comes as other Atlantic provinces continue to enforce open-fire bans due to the elevated fire risk, with crews now battling active wildfires in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. Nova Scotia has restricted hiking, camping, fishing and all-terrain vehicle use in wooded areas. New Brunswick has also banned public access to Crown land, prohibiting camping, fishing, hiking, driving into the woods and using trail systems. Like most of the Maritimes, Prince Edward Island is under a heat warning through Wednesday. With humidity, temperatures could reach 31 C but feel as high as 39 C. The province is encouraging Islanders to take steps to protect their homes from wildfire risk by following FireSmart guidelines, such as clearing vegetation close to buildings and keeping gutters free of debris.
