As forest fires continue burning, N.L. to get help from Quebec

Several forest fires burning in Newfoundland unexpectedly worsened on Tuesday, mainly due to windy and dry conditions.

Fires near Paradise Lake, Bay d'Espoir andSouthern Lake were all out of control as of Tuesday morning, said provincial forest fire duty officer Jeff Mottyon Wednesday.

The province closed the Bay d'Espoir Highway on Tuesday, reopened itfor a short timeWednesday morning, but closed it again shortly before noondue toa "significant" amount of smoke.

Motty said reopening the Bay d'EspoirHighway was a main objective for crews fighting the fires.

The fire near Bay d'Espoir has been burning since July 24, and flared up again around 1 p.m. Tuesday, Motty said.

As the fires continue to tie up resources and pose problems for fire crews, the province will be getting a little help.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the provincial government announced seven crew members and three aircraft from Quebec, including two water bombers, will be dispatched tocentral Newfoundlandfor five to seven days.

Veterans Memorial Highway reopens

The province reopened Veterans Memorial Highway after closing itTuesday evening due to a forest fire near several homes and businesses in Carbonear. Shortly before 8:30 a.m. NT onWednesday, Mottysaid theyhadn't yet contained the fire, but the risk to homes in the area was decreasing.

"Our plan for today is to continue working that fire until it's extinguished," Mottysaid.

The fire began Tuesday afternoon, behind the Canadian Tire and Dairy Queen on Columbus Drive in Carbonear.

"It was close," he said. "There was things that we had to worry about for firefighter safety."

Mottysaid they diverteda water bomber from the forest fire near the Bay d'Espoir highway on Tuesday because pilots wereunable to fly safely due to smoke. The planes are now helping fight the Carbonearforest fire instead.

Motty said six personnel and two pumps were also at the Carbonear fireWednesday morning. He said 15 per cent of the perimeter had been containedbut they still consider theblaze to beout of control. He said the crew on site was developing a planand would call in additional resources if necessary.

"The crews really hope to get that fire knocked down before the heat of the day," he said.

Fires near Paradise Lake, Southern Laketake a turn for the worse

The fire in the Paradise Lake area also flared up around 1 p.m. Tuesday, and was still out of control as of Wednesday morning. Motty said crews had safely been removed from the area and are developing a plan of attack.

Two fires near Southern Lake in central Newfoundlandhave worsened and may have combined into a single fire, he said.

"We've got to collect a lot of information and develop a plan," Motty said.

He said crews have "considerable" resources, including water bombers, and the forest fire protection centre in Gander is deciding how to allocate those resources.

Motty said a fire near Triton Brook/Deer Pond is still under control and is being monitored.

Motty said 66 fires have burned more than 2,700 hectaresin Newfoundland and Labrador. While 2022 is an active year for forest firesin Newfoundland and Labrador, 2020 saw more than 4,000 burn, mostly due to fires in remote parts of Labrador.

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