Latest news with #SarahSmellie
Toronto Sun
9 hours ago
- Climate
- Toronto Sun
Hotter than average temperatures to last through September
Published Aug 18, 2025 • 1 minute read A water bomber flies over a wildfire near St. John's, N.L., on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. Photo by Sarah Smellie / THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — Western provinces and the East Coast should remain on alert for the possibility of more wildfire activity throughout the rest of summer, based on the latest federal government update. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Wide swaths of B.C. and the prairie provinces are expected to be drier and hotter than normal. Federal government forecasters also see above-average seasonal temperatures for most of the country over the next three months. Data provided by Public Safety Canada at a technical briefing this morning shows 78,000 square kilometres of land has burned so far this year, mostly in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. That's the second highest on record after 2023, and more than twice the 10-year average. There are 707 active fires currently burning across the country — 68 of which are considered to be out of control. Columnists Canada World Sunshine Girls Columnists
Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Climate
- Toronto Sun
Largest wildfire in eastern Newfoundland has destroyed up to 100 homes
Published Aug 14, 2025 • 1 minute read A water bomber flies over a wildfire near St. John's, N.L., on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sarah Smellie ST. JOHN'S — Officials say the largest wildfire burning in Newfoundland and Labrador may have destroyed up to 100 homes and structures. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account However, Premier John Hogan says it is still too dangerous for crews to get into the area to complete an accurate tally. The fire burning along the northwestern shore of Conception Bay began on Aug. 3 near Kingston, N.L., and Hogan says it now measures more than 80 square kilometres. Meanwhile, Forestry Department spokesman Jamie Chippett says improving weather has helped slow the wildfire near St. John's, but it is still burning in the ground and considered out of control. In St. John's, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says officers arrested a 20-year-old man for allegedly setting a series of brush fires in the downtown area on Tuesday night. The police force says the man is scheduled to appear in court on charges of arson with disregard of human life. Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls World Sunshine Girls Relationships
Toronto Sun
5 days ago
- General
- Toronto Sun
Newfoundlanders busking, cooking to help in fight against roaring wildfires
Published Aug 13, 2025 • 5 minute read A water bomber flies over a wildfire near St. John's, N.L., on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. Photo by Sarah Smellie / THE CANADIAN PRESS ST. JOHN'S — Evacuees who fled a roaring wildfire near Newfoundland and Labrador's largest city received a special donation Wednesday from a young musician. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Ten-year-old accordion player Zander Wright raised $121 while busking Tuesday outside a convenience store south of St. John's, the same day some residents of nearby Paradise, N.L., were told to evacuate their homes and businesses. 'I felt like it was the right thing to do, to donate and help people in the fire,' Wright said in an interview as he delivered his earnings to a reception centre for evacuees in Kelligrews, N.L. Zander lives with his family in Conception Bay South, a town on the outskirts of the provincial capital that is under a state of emergency. 'Which means we could be called to evacuate at a moment's notice,' said his mother, Karen Pratt. 'People close by to us have already been evacuated. It's so scary.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Five out-of-control wildfires were burning Wednesday across Newfoundland and Labrador. The largest, near Kingston, N.L., on the northeastern shore of Conception Bay, had grown to more than 64 square kilometres, Premier John Hogan told a briefing in St. John's. The Kingston fire, which started Aug. 3, has forced about 3,000 people from their homes and destroyed an unknown number of homes and structures. Officials have said the smoke in the area is too thick for crews to survey the destruction. About 100 km to the east near St. John's, the wildfire — known as the Paddy's Pond fire — has prompted provincial officials to ask thousands of residents within the metropolitan area to be prepared to flee at a moment's notice. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. An evacuation advisory issued for cabin owners in the Martin Lake, Great Rattling Brook and Rushy Pond area and access roads in Central Newfoundland was expanded Wednesday evening to include the Paradise Lake area. It said people are advised to leave immediately. Hogan said Wednesday the fire was burning about 250 metres from the Trans-Canada Highway, about 15 km south of the city's downtown. Six water bombers — four from Newfoundland and Labrador and two from Ontario — were working to contain the flames. The fire had grown to about 2.5 square kilometres, according to the provincial wildfire dashboard. Extreme fire conditions forced officials to pull groundcrews off the southern edge of blaze on Tuesday, Hogan said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Still, officials said water bombers had slowed the growth of the fire, but they said it was still burning out of control. Meanwhile, the provincial government has introduced a ban on all-terrain vehicles on forested roads. It said the temporary restriction would remain in place until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, when the wildfire index would be re-assessed. The notice from the Forestry Ministry also noted a one-time exemption for people needing to leave a restricted forested area would be allowed, though that would end at 11:59 p.m. Friday. Earlier in the week, Hogan said an ATV ban wasn't a good idea because off-road vehicles are important for those who live and work in the woods. 'What's changed is fires continue to happen,' he said. 'We need to make sure that no further fires crop up because we only have so many assets … to fight the current fires.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services issued a notice Wednesday announcing impacts to services at acute-care facilities in St. John's hospitals due to the impacts of the wildfires. It said some services, such as elective surgeries and non-urgent outpatient endoscopy procedures, would be postponed. 'NL Health Services would also like to reassure the public that urgent and emergent health-care services are continuing at this time and the emergency departments remain open,' it added. Officials have also handed out two fines — one to an individual and one to a corporation — for activity violating a provincewide fire ban, Hogan said. 'I really hope people understand the seriousness of the fire ban and the fire regulations and what we're asking people to do,' Hogan said. 'If you do violate this, we will find you and we will fine you.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary reported that during a two-hour period on Tuesday night, five brush fires were spotted in downtown St. John's, all of them within a few blocks of each other. No one was injured and the fires were quickly extinguished. Police believe one person is responsible. Investigators are asking for the public's help as they continue their investigation. Those caught violating a provincewide fire ban could face a fine ranging from $50,000 to $150,000. In Lower Island Cove, north of the Kingston fire, the owner of The Mess Tent Poutinerie, Christine McNeil, has been making about 150 meals a day for the 300 firefighters in the area. The 61-year-old was a first responder with the Canadian Armed Forces, and she spent many years posted to the Royal Canadian Navy supply ship HMCS Preserver , which was retired in 2016. Everyone on board was trained in firefighting, she said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'This is absolutely killing me, that I can't be up there, that I'm not in the mix,' McNeil said in a telephone interview from her restaurant. 'Providing meals is best I can do for them. And I'll do that until they kick me out.' At an evacuation centre in Carbonear, N.L., south of the Kingston fire, evacuee Gerry Rogers said that on Aug. 3, the wind-driven fire forced her from the home she shares with her partner in Blackhead, N.L. 'They're telling us that it's really bad,' Rogers said Tuesday in an interview, adding that the wind had made firefighting on the ground almost impossible. 'The winds were so strong that nothing they did was effective. There was nothing that could be done to suppress the fire at the time.' As for her home, Rogers said recent satellite photos clearly show that the ground around Blackhead and the surrounding area has been left badly scorched, indicating there's not much left standing. 'We built a fabulous passive house that's on the edge of the world, right on the water,' she said. 'And we moved into it in November …. Now we're thinking that it's possible that the house is gone.' — With files from Michael MacDonald in Halifax and Brieanna Charlebois in Vancouver. Read More Editorial Cartoons Columnists Toronto Maple Leafs Columnists Toronto & GTA
CTV News
5 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
How Canadians can prepare for wildfire evacuations, from emergency plans to go bags
Wildfire smoke is seen blanketing Newfoundland's coast, south of the lighthouse at Fort Amherst, in St. John's, N.L., on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sarah Smellie Wildfires are threatening communities across Canada, raising questions about how people can best prepare for evacuations. Officials ordered the evacuation of parts of a suburb of St. John's, N.L., on Tuesday, and thousands more in the metropolitan area may need to flee at a moment's notice as they remain under an evacuation alert. Emergency kits, emergency plans and home checklists are all commonly cited by governments and experts as simple ways to get ready. The Canadian Red Cross says monitoring weather conditions, listening to local authorities and following local emergency alerts are all key ways to stay informed. It says an emergency plan should include, among other things, the best escape routes out of a home and neighbourhood, a meeting point outside the community and details about how best to support any friends or family with special needs. Public Safety Canada suggests an emergency kit should have non-perishable food and two litres of water per person, per day, along with medications, flashlights, a radio, cash and copies of important documents, such as identification and insurance papers. The federal department says if your emergency kit gets too heavy, it can be a good idea to separate some of the items into grab-and-go bags personalized for each individual in a household. FireSmart Canada says there are many ways to prepare a home before a potential evacuation, including disconnecting propane tanks a and clearing dead plants from within 10 metres of the house. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2025. The Canadian Press
Toronto Sun
12-08-2025
- General
- Toronto Sun
Largest wildfire continues to gain ground in eastern Newfoundland
Published Aug 11, 2025 • 5 minute read Smoke from a nearby wildfire is visible from Signal Hill, in St. John's, N.L., on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. Photo by Sarah Smellie / THE CANADIAN PRESS SMALL POINT-ADAM'S COVE-BLACKHEAD-BROAD COVE, N.L. — He has no official confirmation, but Luo Xu is certain his family's evacuated home in eastern Newfoundland has been destroyed by wildfire. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account On Saturday night, he watched live images from a security camera inside the property in Western Bay showing smoke and then flames filling the screen before going blank. 'I don't think any words could ever be able to describe my feelings about watching our own house burning,' Xu said in an interview Monday. There were seven active wildfires in the province on Monday — five in Newfoundland and two in Labrador. Of the four burning out of control, the fire that entered Western Bay was by far the largest. As of Saturday, about 3,000 people had been told to leave their homes. Xu said it appears his home, which he shared with his wife and two young children, burned down Saturday around 6 p.m. 'The camera sits inside the house, right by the front window, so I know it's gone. Even if it's not fully gone, it's badly burned. It will be a total loss.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Provincial officials said Monday that thick smoke in the communities along the northwestern shore of Conception Bay, like Western Bay, has prevented them from being able to count the number of destroyed homes and other structures. A week ago, Xu and his family were told to evacuate their home for the second time this wildfire season. They were told to leave back in May when an earlier wildfire threatened the area. Read More Xu and his family are now staying in the neighbouring town of Carbonear. 'The evacuation centre, it's like a big family,' he said. 'We all go there and have a little chat and just try to be positive. We will try to get through this disaster together.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Meanwhile, provincial fire duty officer Mark Lawlor said the fire in question started over a week ago near the coastal town of Kingston, N.L., and has since expanded to about 52 square kilometres. 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 Aug. 4. 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. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. '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.' 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. 'All of these firefighters are volunteers.' RECOMMENDED VIDEO In the tiny community of Freshwater, N.L., just south of the areas evacuated by the Kingston fire, 60-year-old resident Bonnie Parsons said she had never before experience such a hot, dry summer. Grass in her community is so dry it 'scrunches beneath your feet.' 'If we get one week out of the whole summer where it's warm and sunny, that's it. We are not used to this weather.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Parsons, who helps entertain local seniors at fundraisers, said she had recently visited some older evacuees who are staying at a school in Carbonear. 'It's devastating,' she said. 'They are sitting there … and they don't know if they've got anything to go back to.' Premier John Hogan told a briefing in St. John's that crews battling the Kingston fire were dealing with the same high winds and soaring temperatures that helped spread the fire over the weekend. 'The firefighters and heavy equipment are continuing to work … to expand the fuel break on the southern edge of the fire,' he said. The premier and his officials were unable to say how many homes or other buildings had been lost to the fires. And they could not provide an update on the number of evacuees still out of their homes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Hogan said two additional water bombers from Ontario were expected to arrive Monday. And he confirmed that the Canadian Armed Forces would be doubling the number of its firefighters to 80 by Tuesday. In New Brunswick, three wildfires were considered out of control on Monday. Environment Minister John Herron said the fire near Irishtown, north of Moncton, is of 'extraordinary' concern even though it's only half a square kilometre in size. Residents in and around Irishtown have been told to prepare for evacuation. The fire in the southeastern corner of the province could affect as many as 1,500 people and 900 structures. There's also a wildfire in the Miramichi area, near the province's east coast. It has scorched 4.5 square kilometres. And there's a wildfire burning southwest of Bathurst in northern New Brunswick. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The wildfire situation … has got worse since we were sitting here on Saturday,' Premier Susan Holt told a briefing. She said the province has asked for help from P.E.I., Nova Scotia and Maine. On Monday in Prince Edward Island, the government banned all types of open fires, including campfires and bonfires. The ban applies to private property and all provincial parks. All brush-burning permits were recently revoked. Those caught violating the ban face a fine up to $50,000. '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,' Environment Minister Gilles Arsenault said in a statement. — By Lyndsay Armstrong in Halifax, with files from Keith Doucette and Michael MacDonald. Columnists Columnists Toronto & GTA Celebrity Canada
