The premier is asking residents in central Newfoundland communities to prepare for a potential evacuation due to growing wildfires in the region.
No evacuation order has been issued yet. Prime Minister Andrew Fury says the move is not to create panic, but to be prepared because of the rapidly changing situation.
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The Premier and Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture Minister Derrick Bragg spoke from Gander on Sunday morning.
Fury said smoke and poor air quality in the region were major concerns that led to the decision to call for preparations.
“The fire is not on a direct path to those communities at this particular time,” Furey said. “However, a change in wind patterns could have a significant impact on smoke over these communities, Bishop’s Falls and Grand Falls-Windsor.”
Fury said people living in those areas with lung problems, such as asthma, should consider leaving before the heavy smoke.
Premier Andrew Fury and Minister Derrick Bragg addressed the province from Gander, asking the area to prepare for a potential evacuation. (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador)
The Prime Minister also demanded that “Central Health begin a triage plan to evacuate people to their facilities.” This includes Grand Falls-Windsor Hospital, as well as long-term care facilities and personal care homes in the area.
As for the Connaigre Peninsula, Furey said a state of emergency has been declared there due to the closure of the Bay d’Espoir highway.
“We are currently establishing a ferry and it is on its way to provide services from Fortune to Hermitage and this will be established in short order.”
He says the current situation is constantly changing.
A forest fire rages near the Bay d’Espoir highway in the Netherlands on Saturday, August 6, 2022. (Submitted by Derrick Bragg)
“Let’s hope it rains a little bit and it’s all been for nothing,” Fury said.
The announcement comes less than twelve hours after the Premier declared a state of emergency in the region covering Grand Falls-Windsor, Bishops Falls and the Connaissance Peninsula, and just an hour after Minister Bragg extended the regional open fire ban across the province due to ongoing dry conditions , windy weather.
A state of emergency has been declared
The Newfoundland and Labrador government has declared a state of emergency in parts of central Newfoundland as wildfires continue to rage out of control.
The state of emergency covers the Grand Falls-Windsor, Bishops Falls and Conegre Peninsula areas.
I have approved a request for federal assistance from @GovNL in response to active bushfires in the province. Our @CanadianForces staff will work with provincial and municipal officials to plan and coordinate evacuation and movement operations from affected areas.
I approved a request for federal assistance from Bill Blair on Twitter: “Approved a request for federal assistance from @GovNL in response to active bushfires in the province. Our @CanadianForces personnel will work with provincial and municipal officials to plan and coordinate evacuation and movement operations from affected areas. / Twitter” in response to the active wildfires in the province. Our Bill Blair on Twitter: “I have approved a request for federal assistance from @GovNL in response to the active wildfires in the province. Our @CanadianForces personnel will work with provincial and municipal officials to to plan and coordinate evacuation and movement operations from affected areas. / Twitter” staff will work with provincial and municipal officials to plan and coordinate evacuation and movement operations from affected areas.
— Bill Blair (@BillBlair) Bill Blair on Twitter: “I have approved a request for federal assistance from @GovNL in response to active bushfires in the province. Our @CanadianForces personnel will work with provincial and municipal officials to plan and coordinate evacuation and movement operations from affected areas. / Twitter”
In a video statement posted on social media Saturday night, Premier Andrew Fury called the fire situation Newfoundland’s worst since 1961 and said that while the fires are not threatening communities right now, “the wind is changing and the pattern of spread is changing. of smoke will change significantly.”
“This is a dynamic situation,” he said, flanked on the video by Forestry Minister Derrick Bragg and incident commander Jason Glaude.
Furey said they have asked the Central Health Region to create an evacuation plan for its hospitals, long-term care homes and personal care homes should the need arise, and people living in affected communities should also be alert for possible evacuation.
“We don’t want to create panic, but we have to act responsibly given the current threat level,” he said.
In a tweet Saturday night, federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said he had approved the Newfoundland and Labrador government’s request for assistance from the Canadian Forces. Blair said staff would help “plan and coordinate evacuation and movement operations from affected areas.”
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Fires in central Newfoundland have been burning for two weeks, and the largest, near the Bay d’Espoir Highway, has forced the continued closure of the only road to and from the Connaigre Peninsula.
In a video statement Saturday night, Bragg said officials are concerned that given the forecasted weather conditions, this fire will combine with another burn nearby in Paradise Lake.
“We could see the fire extend up to 10 kilometers,” Glod said. “That puts us roughly 10 to 15 kilometers from Grand Falls-Windsor, and our main concern will be smoke, but also embers, hot ash and other things falling on properties.”
Temperatures could reach 28C and winds could reach 35km/h gusts in central Newfoundland on Sunday afternoon.
Glode is asking people in affected communities to “burn smart” on their properties — including mowing grass, cleaning mulch and any flammable materials from their property, and trimming any trees that back up to their homes.
Glodt said crews are building a firebreak along the province’s power lines.
“This is our line of defense in terms of affected communities if the fire gets there,” he said.
Environment Canada has issued an air quality statement for northeastern Newfoundland, including Grand Falls-Windsor, Clarenville, the Bonavista Peninsula and the Terra Nova area.
This story was originally published on CBC News on August 6, 2022. Contains files from Matt McCann, Peter Cowan.
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