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CBC
7 hours ago
- Climate
- CBC
Musgrave Harbour remains under evacuation order, wildfire now 2 km away from town
As fire crews continue work on an out-of-control wildfire in the Town of Musgrave Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador, the fire is now two kilometres away from the town. In a public advisory made at 6:52 p.m., the Department of Justice and Public Safety says that the fire is now moving South and is unlikely to impact the community today. However, the department anticipates that the fire will cross the highway and move toward Banting Memorial park Sunday evening into overnight. The department is now reporting that the fire is about 1,700 hectares in size. The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture has wildfire suppression ground resources, four water bombers, a bird dog aircraft and other crews working to put out the fire. The province's Emergency Operations Centre is actively monitoring the situation and emergency management partners are responding. "Updates on conditions, resources and assistance will be made available continuously throughout this evolving situation," says the advisory. In the meantime, an evacuation order remains for Musgrave Harbour and Banting Memorial Park. In a provincial update provided at noon Sunday, Jamie Chippett, the deputy minister of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, said that when the fire was detected at 8 p.m. Saturday evening, it was eight kilometres from the community. "It is at a very high rank, a Rank 5 in technical terms; [that means it's] 'very active,'" said Chippett. Newfoundland and Labrador uses the international ranking scale for fire behaviour, meaning a Rank 5 indicates an extremely vigorous surface fire. That scale only goes to 6. "The community would be seeing lots of smoke," said Chippett. "We do have weather conditions with a wind that is 40 gusting to 50 west-southwest, which unfortunately puts the community directly in the line of the fire." While tomorrow's winds are supposed to be slightly lighter, Chippett said they'll still be in the direction of the community. Forecasts are also saying that there may be some precipitation during the evening. "The first real relief is on Tuesday when we expect cooler temperatures, different wind direction and potentially some significant precipitation," said Chippett. Evacuees registering with Red Cross Musgrave Harbour evacuees were advised to go to a reception centre in Gander at the Steele Memorial Centre on 155 Airport Boulevard, where the Canadian Red Cross will be registering people. Minister of Justice and Public Safety John Haggie asked that everyone affected by the evacuation order register with the Red Cross. And if they are not intending to go to the centre in Gander, evacuees should still call 709-729-0921 to register. "It's important that we have that information so we can help you out even if you don't use the Steel Centre itself," said Haggie. There is also now a road block at the entrance to Aspen Cove and Banting Memorial Park stationed by Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and Ground Search and Rescue. The province says that Route 330 may need to be closed on short notice but that it will provide an update if required. The minister also asked that people not fly drones, as they would prevent water bombers from flying in the area. "Drones in the air means no water bombers in the air," said Haggie. "That is our main weapon during the daylight hours of containing forest fires like this. So unauthorized drone use is actually a criminal offence." Residents attempting to evacuate without vehicles were advised to go to the Musgrave Harbour fire department to avail of busing transportation, and to be brought to Gander, said Town Clerk Amber Littlejohn, Sunday morning. Littlejohn is also asked that residents drive safely, and tell friends and family where they are. She also told CBC that the community was "drenched with smoke." The town fire department worked on putting out the fire overnight, said Littlejohn, who added that while they couldn't see the fire from the town, she could see the crews working to fight it. "We have a water bomber going back and forth. He's picking up water from a designated area in the ocean there, off our beach," she said. Musgrave Harbour's town council declared a state of emergency Sunday morning, according to a letter released on social media. The letter states that the council has determined that the wildfire poses a serious safety risk to residents and property within the town. Health supports in place Environment Canada has an air quality warning in place for Musgrave Harbour and the vicinity due to high levels of smoke from the fire. As of 6:52 p.m., the province advised that the air quality in Gander is considered "moderate risk" and Grand Falls-Windsor is "low risk." "Forest fires can increase air pollution levels. Forest fire smoke contains particles and pollutants that can harm your health," writes the province in the advisory. Haggie says the health authority has extra support in place at the James Paton Memorial Regional Health Centre in Gander, for both physical and mental health needs. He also advises residents to monitor official channels for updates. Fires continue across the province Minister of Justice and Public Safety John Haggie called the wildfire "a significant and serious issue," and says air quality is a concern for firefighters. As wildfire still rages out of control in Chance Harbour as well, Haggie says "this is a really busy fire season for the province and certainly for the island at the moment." A previous air quality warning on the Bonavista peninsula, due to the fire near Chance Harbour, was lifted this morning. According to the Active Wildfire Dashboard, the Chance Harbour fire remains at an estimated 1,660 hectares and is still considered out of control. Provincial Fire Duty Officer Wesley Morgan says the wind has been helping keep the fire away from the nearby towns of Jamestown and Winter Brook. In an 11 a.m. update, the forestry department said that Chance Harbour residents can also expect to see significant smoke from the southern end of the fire. Three helicopters will continue to work the fire throughout the day, and ground crews will be deployed once it is safe to do so. Ground crews are still working on the wildfires at Nine Island Pond and Northwest Brook. At this time, Haggie says the province's fire suppression resources are adequate to deal with the current situation. But if things get worse, the province will look at asking other provinces for help. Province-wide fire ban in effect A fire ban is still in place across the entire province today. The province is reminding residents that open fires are still not permitted. Haggie also wanted to remind people to be careful with cigarette butts. "It is surprising the number of people who just casually toss them out of the window on the highway and we've seen that cause trouble before," he said.
CBC
12 hours ago
- Climate
- CBC
Musgrave Harbour residents evacuating, wildfire now only 1 kilometre away
The town of Musgrave Harbour in Newfoundland and Labrador has been ordered to evacuate with a wildfire now only 1 kilometer away from the community. The evacuation order also includes Banting Memorial Park Campground, close to the town. All four of the province's active water bombers are now attacking the blaze which is steadily moving toward the town due to the prevailing winds. In a provincial update provided at noon Sunday, Jamie Chippett, Deputy Minister of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, said that when the fire was detected at 8:00 p.m. Saturday evening it was 8 kilometres from the community. Now it is only 1 kilometer away. "It is at a very high rank, a rank 5 in technical terms, [that means it's] 'very active.' Newfoundland and Labrador uses the international ranking scale for fire behaviour, meaning a rank 5 would be an extremely vigoirous surface fire. That scale only goes to 6. "The community would be seeing lots of smoke," said Chippett. "We do have weather conditions with a wind that is 40 gusting to 50 west-southwest, which unfortunately puts the community directly in the line of the fire." Chippett said as of yet they don't have an estimate on the size of the fire because of smokey conditions, but they do know it is "within the hundreds of hectares." While tomorrow's winds are supposed to be slightly lighter, Chippett said they'll still be in the direction of the community. Forecasts are also saying that there may be some precipitation during the evening. "The first real relief is on Tuesday when we expect cooler temperatures, different wind direction and potentially some significant precipitation," said Chippett. Minister of Justice and Public Safety John Haggie called it "a significant and serious issue." Musgrave Harbour evacuees are being advised to go to a reception centre in Gander at the Steele Memorial Centre on 155 Airport Boulevard. The Canadian Red Cross will also be there to assist. Haggie asked that everyone affected by the evacuation order call 709-729-0921 to register, even if they are not intending to use the centre or the Red Cross services provided in Gander. "It's important that we have that information so we can help you out even if you don't use the Steel Centre itself," said Haggie. The Minister also asked that any drones be kept clear of the area, as they would prevent water bombers from flying in the area. "Drones in the air means no water bombers in the air," said Haggie. "That is our main weapon during the daylight hours of containing forest fires like this. So unauthorized drone use is actually a criminal offence." Haggie also says the health authority has extra support in place at the James Paton Memorial Regional Health Centre in Gander, for both physical and mental health needs. The province advises residents to monitor official channels for updates. Residents attempting to leave the region without vehicles can go to the Musgrave Harbour fire department to avail of busing transportation, and to be brought to Gander, says Town Clerk Amber Littlejohn. Littlejohn is also asking that residents drive safely, and tell friends and family where they are. She also told CBC that the community is currently "drenched with smoke." The town fire department was on scene fighting the fire all night, said Littlejohn, who added that while they couldn't see the fire from the town, she could see the crews working to fight it. "We have a water bomber going back and forth. He's picking up water from a designated area in the ocean there, off our beach," she said. Musgrave Harbour's town council declared a state of emergency Sunday morning, according to a letter released on social media. The letter states that the council has determined that the wildfire poses a serious safety risk to residents and property within the town. Fires continue across the province Environment Canada has an air quality warning in place in the Musgrave Harbour area due to high levels of smoke at this time. Haggie said air quality is a bigger concern for firefighters at this time. The air quality warning on the Bonavista peninsula due to the fire near Chance Harbour was lifted this morning. "This is a really busy fire season for the province and certainly for the island at the moment," said Haggie. As of Saturday, that fire had grown to over 1,660 hectares and was still considered out of control. Provincial Fire Duty Officer Wesley Morgan says the wind has been helping keep the fire away from the nearby towns of Jamestown and Winter Brook. However it is still very much considered an active fire. In the 11:00 a.m. update, the forestry department said that Chance Harbour residents can expect to see significant smoke from the southern end of the fire. Three helicopters will continue to work the fire throughout the day, and ground crews will be deployed once it is safe to do so. Ground crews are still working on the wildfires at Nine Island Pond and Northwest Brook. At this time, Haggie says the province's fire suppression resources are adequate to deal with the current situation. But if things get worse, the province will look at asking other provinces for help. Province-wide fire ban in effect A fire ban is still in place across the entire province today. The province is reminding residents that open fires are still not permitted. Haggie also wanted to remind people to be careful with cigarette butts. "It is surprising the number of people who just casually toss them out of the window on the highway and we've seen that cause trouble before," he said.
CBC
13 hours ago
- Climate
- CBC
Musgrave Harbour residents evacuating, wildfire now only 1 kilometer away
The town of Musgrave Harbour in Newfoundland and Labrador has been ordered to evacuate with a wildfire now only 1 kilometer away from the community. The evacuation order also includes Banting Memorial Park Campground, close to the town. All four of the province's active water bombers are now attacking the blaze which is steadily moving toward the town due to the prevailing winds. In a provincial update provided at noon Sunday, Jamie Chippett, Deputy Minister of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, said that when the fire was detected at 8:00 p.m. Saturday evening it was 8 kilometres from the community. Now it is only 1 kilometer away. "It is at a very high rank, a rank 5 in technical terms, [that means it's] 'very active.' The community would be seeing lots of smoke," said Chippett. "We do have weather conditions with a wind that is 40 gusting to 50 west-southwest, which unfortunately puts the community directly in the line of the fire." Chippett said as of yet they don't have an estimate on the size of the fire because of smokey conditions, but they do know it is "within the hundreds of hectares." Minister of Justice and Public Safety John Haggie called it "a significant and serious issue." He reiterated that the province-wide fire ban remains in effect, and also asked that any drones be kept clear of the area, as they would prevent water bombers from flying in the area. The province advises residents to monitor official channels for updates. Musgrave Harbour evacuees are being advised to go to a reception centre in Gander at the Steele Memorial Centre on 155 Airport Boulevard. The Canadian Red Cross will also be there to assist. Haggie asked that everyone affected by the evacuation order call 709-729-0921 to register, even if they are not intending to use the centre or the Red Cross services provided in Gander. Residents attempting to leave the region without vehicles can go to the Musgrave Harbour fire department to avail of busing transportation, and to be brought to Gander, says Town Clerk Amber Littlejohn. Littlejohn is also asking that residents drive safely, and tell friends and family where they are. She also told CBC that the community is currently "drenched with smoke." The town fire department was on scene fighting the fire all night, said Littlejohn, who added that while they couldn't see the fire from the town, she could see the crews working to fight it. "We have a water bomber going back and forth. He's picking up water from a designated area in the ocean there, off our beach," she said. Meanwhile, Musgrave Harbour's town council has also declared a state of emergency, according to a letter released on social media. The letter states that the council has determined that the wildfire poses a serious safety risk to residents and property within the town. Fires continue across the province Meanwhile the air quality warning on the Bonavista peninsula due to the fire near Chance Harbour has been lifted. As of Saturday, that fire had grown to over 1,660 hectares and was still considered out of control. Provincial Fire Duty Officer Wesley Morgan says the wind has been helping keep the fire away from the nearby towns of Jamestown and Winter Brook. However it is still very much considered an active fire. In the 11:00 a.m. update, the forestry department said that Chance Harbour residents can expect to see significant smoke from the southern end of the fire. Three helicopters will also continue to work the fire throughout the day, and ground crews will be deployed once it is safe to do so. Ground crews are also still working on the wildfires at Nine Island Pond and Northwest Brook. A fire ban is also still in place across the entire province today. The province is reminding residents that open fires are still not permitted.
News18
15 hours ago
- General
- News18
NDRF to commission cadaver dogs for disaster operations
Agency: PTI New Delhi, Jul 20 (PTI) The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will soon press into service its first contingent of cadaver dogs who can sniff out the dead or human remains in a disaster zone, an officer at the agency said. About half a dozen such dogs have been under training at the NDRF battalion bases in Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh for the last few months, they said. To train the special canines, largely from the Belgian Malinois and Labrador breeds, the force has procured a special scent from abroad that smells akin to the odour emitted by a dead body, he said. 'For all these years, the NDRF focused on its mandate of saving lives. Utilising the golden hour of finding life during a disaster has been the guiding principle of the rescuers, and hence finding the dead or mortal remains was not a priority," an NDRF officer told PTI. However, we have seen that the force is also part of operations where NDRF is tasked with retrieving bodies from under the debris, like in the aftermath of a landslide or train or road accident, he said. Finding bodies or human remains is important to give closure to the families and loved ones, he said. Hence, the NDRF, a few months back, embarked on its maiden exercise to train cadaver dogs, the officer said. Another officer said there are hardly any such dogs in the state rescue forces in India, and those who have them, have had a mixed success rate. Their success depends on a lot of factors, including prevailing weather conditions, humidity, snow and the presence of other strong odours in the area of operation. Detection of the dead is harder than the alive, he said. 'Training such dogs is a challenge as it requires a human body or body parts that are not easily available. Hence, a special scent that smells like dead human remains was procured for training the NDRF dogs from abroad," the officer said. The dogs are expected to complete their training by the next month. After that, they will be placed with some specific NDRF battalions out of the total 16 spread across the country, he said. Once deployed, we will get to know about the success rate of such dogs, the officer earlier quoted said. Two cadaver dogs of the Kerala Police were deployed earlier this year in the aftermath of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel collapse in Telangana, leading to the trapping of eight people. The same dogs were also used during the 2024 Wayanad landslides. The NDRF was raised in 2006, and at present, it has a strength of about 18,000 men and women rescuers spread across over 30 regional response centres. PTI NES VN VN VN view comments First Published: July 20, 2025, 16:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
16 hours ago
- Health
- The Hindu
NDRF to commission cadaver dogs for disaster operations
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will soon press into service its first contingent of cadaver dogs who can sniff out the dead or human remains in a disaster zone, an officer at the agency said. About half a dozen such dogs have been under training at the NDRF battalion bases in Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh for the last few months, they said. 'To train the special canines, largely from the Belgian Malinois and Labrador breeds, the force has procured a special scent from abroad that smells akin to the odour emitted by a dead body,' he said. 'For all these years, the NDRF focused on its mandate of saving lives. Utilising the golden hour of finding life during a disaster has been the guiding principle of the rescuers, and hence finding the dead or mortal remains was not a priority,' an NDRF officer told PTI. 'However, we have seen that the force is also part of operations where NDRF is tasked with retrieving bodies from under the debris, like in the aftermath of a landslide or train or road accident,' he said. 'Finding bodies or human remains is important to give closure to the families and loved ones,' he said. 'Hence, the NDRF, a few months back, embarked on its maiden exercise to train cadaver dogs,' the officer said. Another officer said there are hardly any such dogs in the state rescue forces in India, and those who have them, have had a mixed success rate. 'Their success depends on a lot of factors, including prevailing weather conditions, humidity, snow and the presence of other strong odours in the area of operation. Detection of the dead is harder than the alive,' he said. 'Training such dogs is a challenge as it requires a human body or body parts that are not easily available. Hence, a special scent that smells like dead human remains was procured for training the NDRF dogs from abroad,' the officer said. 'The dogs are expected to complete their training by the next month. After that, they will be placed with some specific NDRF battalions out of the total 16 spread across the country,' he said. 'Once deployed, we will get to know about the success rate of such dogs,' the officer earlier quoted said. Two cadaver dogs of the Kerala Police were deployed earlier this year in the aftermath of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel collapse in Telangana, leading to the trapping of eight people. The same dogs were also used during the 2024 Wayanad landslides. The NDRF was raised in 2006, and at present, it has a strength of about 18,000 men and women rescuers spread across over 30 regional response centres.
