Latest updates:
- Kingston fire grows, current size unclear.
- Evacuation order issued for Ochre Pit Cove and Salmon Cove.
- Martin Lake fire had marginal growth, holding at about 230 hectares.
- Bay d’Espoir Highway remains open.
- Holyrood fire holding at 22 hectares.
- Fines will likely reach $50,000 for violating fire regulations, premier says.
- Ottawa says military, coast guard and humanitarian help headed to N.L.
- 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.
The Kingston wildfire in Conception Bay North remains very active and has grown again along its northern edge, toward Ochre Pit Cove, officials said late Thursday.
Its current size is not known, the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Forestry said on social media, because its northern boundary is obscured by heavy smoke. The fire measured at 2,175 hectares earlier in the day.
Currently, the C.B.N. communities of Kingston, Perry’s Cove, Western Bay and Small Point-Adam’s Cove-Blackhead-Broad Cove, Ochre Pit Cove and Salmon Cove have been forced to evacuate — while the nearby town of Victoria has been placed on an evacuation alert.
Three water bombers, three helicopters, a bird dog plane and ground crews battled the blaze on Thursday. The department said crews also started on two fire breaks on the southern edge of Perry’s Cove.
Meanwhile, the Holyrood and Martin Lake fires did not grow significantly, it said on social media.
The Holyrood fire is still 22 hectares. Crews will tackle hotspots closest to structures and a helicopter will provide bucketing if needed on Friday, the department said. In central Newfoundland, the Martin Lake fire had minimal growth. No cabins have been impacted.
Crews will establish a fire break along its northern boundary on Friday, joined by a water bomber and other aircraft, the department said.
A fourth wildfire ignited in Red Harbour on the Burin Peninsula on Thursday afternoon, which required the diversion of water bomber from the Kingston fire for a short time.
Forestry confirmed on Thursday night that that fire has been contained and crews are following up with ground suppression.
“It was definitely an adrenaline rush. When we rolled up the flames were about 10 feet from a guy’s house,” Baine Harbour Fire Chief Chris Keating said of the Red Harbour blaze.
Keating is calling on people to be vigilant amid the risk of further fires.
“There’s a lot of people on edge in the communities,” he said. “It’s very dry. [The grass] is cracking under your feet when you’re walking. It’s very flammable right now. So anything that anybody can do to prevent forest fires from happening, please try to do so.”
“As we see fit between two of those fires, water bombers and helicopters are shared back and forth,” he told CBC Radio’s The St. John’s Morning Show.
The other three fires — Kingston, Holyrood and Martin Lake — which have forced evacuations of hundreds of people and put some communities on alert, were still burning out of control, provincial fire duty officer Jeff Motty said earlier.
More communities prepare to evacuate
Provincial fire duty officer Mark Lawlor said Thursday evening that crews are trying to protect infrastructure and nearby towns. Some resources flew in from New Brunswick to help.
“Protection of the communities is priority number one,” he said.
“It appears that we’re in for a stretch of good weather, so it’s going to be a continuous battle for a little while yet.”
Meanwhile, Ottawa is sending help.
The Canadian Forces, the coast guard “and humanitarian partners are mobilizing to support evacuations, firefighting, and the delivery of essential supplies,” Eleanor Olszewski, the minister of emergency management and community resilience, said on social media Thursday morning. “Help is on the way to Newfoundland.”
Premier John Hogan said earlier that the Martin Lake fire, near the Bay D’espoir Highway, remains fairly active and that the highway could be closed at a moment’s notice.
“If they need to get off of the [Connaigre] Peninsula for any reason, we suggest you make that decision sooner rather than later,” Hogan said.
As for fines for anyone who breaks the provincewide fire ban, Hogan said details are still being worked out, but that fines will likely reach $50,000 for a first offence. He expects that to be in place within the next day.
“We feel that this is the right decision now, for people who are disobeying the laws, not paying attention, doing this recklessly or selfishly,” he said.
“Those are the people that we want to look at and to punish for essentially violating the law, and putting other people’s lives at risk.”
Premier John Hogan expanded the evacuation order in Conception Bay North, during a wildfire update Thursday morning.
Rain on wish list
Meteorologist Allison Sheppard said the forecast for the next few days is “maybe not the greatest for… fire conditions. But there’s no real strong winds so hopefully that works in their favour.”
However, she said don’t expect rain any time soon.
“There really is no significant rain right through the five-, seven-day extended [forecast],” Sheppard said, adding warm temperatures are expected into next week with no rain to help fight the fires.
Motty, the provincial fire duty officer, says that’s a problem.
“Right now, if I could ask for one thing from Mother Nature, it’d be rain,” he said.
Light winds are better than gusting winds, he said, so that’s in their favour.
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