Air tankers help control two forest fires

Crews battled separate forest fires in New Brunswick on Monday.

A lighting strike ignited a blaze south of Mount Carleton Provincial Park that grew to three hectares, according to a Department of Energy and Resource Development spokesman.

Jean Bertin said in an email a team of 18 people fought the fire, which is about a 30-kilometre drive north of Riley Brook.

The wildlandfire reporting system categorized the forest fire as "out of control" on Monday, but Bertin said in the afternoon "both fires are under control or very near."

The other fire, which the reporting system deemed "under control," is located in Bantalor, roughly 35 kilometres west of Chipman, and reached five hectares in size Monday.

Bertin said 15 people worked that scene, and air tankers were used at both fires because of the wind and heat.

No structures were threatened, he said.

The province has received reports of smoke across northern New Brunswick, but Bertin said that's from forest fires in Quebec.

TheNew Brunswick forest fires were two of four reported in the province on Sunday.

A fire over about a10th of a hectare south of Rexton is being patrolled, and another about the same size near Miramichi was extinguished, the reporting system stated.

The entire province is under a no-burning orderuntil Tuesday at 2 p.m.

To date,203 forest fires have been reported in 2018 more than triple the numberthis time last year. The 207.5 hectares of burned forest this year is seven times the29.6 hectares at this point in 2017, according to government data.

The 2018 numbers are more in line with 2016's year-to-date figures, however. At this point two years ago, 164 forest fires were reported to have burned 203.1 hectares of forest.