Latest news with #ProvincialFire
CBC
11-08-2025
- Climate
- CBC
4 wildfires now burning across Newfoundland and Labrador
Latest updates: There are four wildfires burning out of control across Newfoundland and Labrador, according to the provincial wildfire dashboard. A regional state of emergency was declared on Saturday for the Bay De Verde peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, from Bristol's Hope to Whiteway. The Kingston wildfire remains out-of-control in Conception Bay North and provincial fire duty officer Mark Lawlor said it has grown to more than 5,000 hectares in size but as of Sunday evening they weren't able to map it due to smoky conditions. "It has been a challenging weekend," Lawlor told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show. Lawlor said the current hot and dry weather conditions are not helping efforts to fight the fire. "There still is fuel ahead of the fire, and with southwest and southerly winds it will continue to push it… up the Bay de Verde Peninsula." He said water bombers are going to be focusing on the fire's northern boundary, adding its difficult to put firefighters there safely because it's where the fire is most active. On Sunday there were four water bombers working on its northern boundary as well as helicopters flying around the communities, putting out hot spots and trying to minimize damage, said Lawlor. He added crews were able to work on the fire's southern and southwest boundaries. The Canadian Coast Guard also helped with its helicopter assets to move crews and carry out survey work. "It is big. However, and not to minimize this, the fire in central in 2020 that was about 25,000 hectares," he said. Lawlor said crews continue to build a fire guard on the fire's southern boundary, removing vegetation so the fire will have less fuel. Lawlor said hoses are now totally surrounding the Holyrood fire, which is listed as being held. On Sunday morning crews only found two to three hot spots and they were able to put them out. "So that's a positive there." Lawlor said the Martin Lake is still out of control and it is still considered to be "very active." Over the weekend the fire increased slightly in size but he said they are maintaining its southern boundary. A water bomber and New Brunswick air tractors were working on the fire on Sunday. Lawlor said there is progress building a fire guard on the fire's northern side and he hopes it will be done in the next few days. He also believes the fire is about four kilometres from the Bay d'Espoir Highway and while the highway is still open, he said that could change. Travelers along the highway will see and smell smoke but Lawlor hopes they can minimize the amount of smoke and keep the fire from advancing toward the highway. According to the provincial wildfire dashboard, on Labrador there are two wildfires burning out of control, the Udjuktok Bay fire and the Traverspine fire, located 19 kilometres south of Happy Valley-Goose Bay. According to the provincial fire hazard map, as of Monday morning the vast majority of the island of Newfoundland is at an extreme risk of fire, whereas Labrador ranges from a low risk to very high. A province wide fire ban in still effect and on Friday the provincial government announced fines for violating the ban are now $50,000 to $150,000, and up to a year imprisonment. On Monday the St. John's Regional Fire Department reported it had notified authorities of three illegal fires overnight. The provincial government announced in a social media post the health authority is temporarily opening a primary care pop-up clinic at the Carbonear Community Health Services Building on Monday. 'Little relief' Meteorologist Veronica Sullivan said the forecast remains poor for fighting the wildfires. She said the northern and northwest Avalon Peninsula will have high temperatures on Monday and winds will be blowing from the southwest at 30 kilometres per hour, gusting up to 50 kilometres per hour. "It's not great for fire behaviour and spread. Those strong winds and dry conditions make it really hard to fight against the wildfire spread," she told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show. Environment Canada has heat warnings across Newfoundland and Labrador and Sullivan said she expects the heat warning for the northern Avalon and eastern Newfoundland to persist until later in the week. "So we won't see a reprieve from that heat until Thursday rolls along," said Sullivan. A low pressure system could bring a few showers to eastern Newfoundland, she said but added it's several days away and the forecast could change. "Until then, it's more of the same — just hot temperatures and little relief at night as the lows overnight are between 18 and 20 degrees."
CBC
08-08-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Bulldozer, excavator on site of Kingston fire to build fire guard, says fire duty officer
Latest updates: Kingston fire is 2,175 hectares, "had some growth" on Thursday. Officials are building a fire guard on southern flank of fire. Holyrood fire is still 22 hectares, Martin Lake fire is 230 hectares. Heat warning in effect for northern Avalon Peninsula and northeastern region of Newfoundland. Special air quality statement still in effect for portion of the northern Avalon Peninsula. Evacuation orders still in place for Kingston, Perry's Cove, Western Bay and Small Point-Adam's Cove-Blackhead-Broad Cove, sections of Holyrood and Conception Bay South. Evacuation orders still in place for cabin area off of Route 360, Bay d'Espoir Highway, extended to Rushy Pond. Evacuation orders expanded Thursday to Ochre Pit Cove and Salmon Cove. Town of Victoria is on an evacuation alert. Three wildfires continue to burn out of control on Newfoundland, and have forced hundreds of people across several communities on the Avalon Peninsula out of their homes. The wildfire in Conception Bay North continues to burn out of control and preventative measures are being brought in to contain its growth, says an official. Provincial fire duty officer Mark Lawlor said the Kingston fire is still out of control and it had "some growth" on Thursday toward the community of Ochre Pit Cove. As of its last mapping, it is 2,175 hectares in size. "We're building a fire guard on the southern end of that fire so we're going to continue with that. They have a bulldozer and an excavator there grubbing off the shrubs and trees on top," Lawlor told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show. He said the Kingston fire is an active fire, with lots of smoke and hot spots, adding it is still torching trees. "The fire is still moving," he said. Lawlor added the fire burning near Holyrood is still staying steady at about 22 hectares and while there was no growth recently, trees are still getting torched and there are plenty of hot spots. On a positive note, Lawlor said the firefighters should have hoses positioned all around the fire on Friday. Lawlor said on Thursday they had to divert a water bomber fighting the Kingston fire to one on the Burin Peninsula. He said that fire is now considered as held and people will be back on site Friday. "That one we're feeling pretty comfortable with," he said On Friday morning the St. John's Regional Fire Department said it was called to six bonfires overnight, despite a provincewide fire ban in effect. Premier John Hogan announced he was moving quickly to hike fines for breaking the ban, which could go as high as $50,000. Environment Canada has two weather alerts in effect for the province, with a special air quality statement remaining in effect for the north and northeastern Avalon Peninsula. A heat warning is also in effect for eastern and central Newfoundland regions, as well as parts of Labrador. Meteorologist Hailey Wigmore advised people people to drink water often, close their blinds and shades, as well as use a fan or stay in a cooler part of the home. She added the light winds are bringing Kingston fire smoke and haze over the St. John's region for Friday. "Looking ahead, there's not really any appreciable rain," she said, "So it's pretty much these dry conditions for at least the next little bit into the future," said Wigmore. Mark Ploughman, a councillor for Small Point-Adam's Cove-Blackhead-Broad Cove, said there was a big change in the Kingston fire, forcing an evacuation order for Salmon Cove and Ochre Pit Cove. The evacuation centre has moved from Persalvic School Complex in Victoria to Carbonear Academy in Carbonear, which he saidis a larger and newer facility. "Things are running pretty smoothly there, from what I saw," said Ploughman. He said people are still facing uncertainty and are stressed because they don't know when the evacuation order will be lifted and they'll be able to go home.
