As fire crews continue work on an out-of-control wildfire in the Town of Musgrave Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador, the fire is now two kilometres away from the town.
In a public advisory made at 6:52 p.m., the Department of Justice and Public Safety says that the fire is now moving South and is unlikely to impact the community today. However, the department anticipates that the fire will cross the highway and move toward Banting Memorial park Sunday evening into overnight.
The department is now reporting that the fire is about 1,700 hectares in size.
The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture has wildfire suppression ground resources, four water bombers, a bird dog aircraft and other crews working to put out the fire. The province’s Emergency Operations Centre is actively monitoring the situation and emergency management partners are responding.
“Updates on conditions, resources and assistance will be made available continuously throughout this evolving situation,” says the advisory.
In the meantime, an evacuation order remains for Musgrave Harbour and Banting Memorial Park.
In a provincial update provided at noon Sunday, Jamie Chippett, the deputy minister of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, said that when the fire was detected at 8 p.m. Saturday evening, it was eight kilometres from the community.
“It is at a very high rank, a Rank 5 in technical terms; [that means it’s] ‘very active,'” said Chippett.
Newfoundland and Labrador uses the international ranking scale for fire behaviour, meaning a Rank 5 indicates an extremely vigorous surface fire. That scale only goes to 6.
“The community would be seeing lots of smoke,” said Chippett. “We do have weather conditions with a wind that is 40 gusting to 50 west-southwest, which unfortunately puts the community directly in the line of the fire.”
While tomorrow’s winds are supposed to be slightly lighter, Chippett said they’ll still be in the direction of the community. Forecasts are also saying that there may be some precipitation during the evening.
“The first real relief is on Tuesday when we expect cooler temperatures, different wind direction and potentially some significant precipitation,” said Chippett.
Musgrave Harbour evacuees were advised to go to a reception centre in Gander at the Steele Memorial Centre on 155 Airport Boulevard, where the Canadian Red Cross will be registering people.
The Canadian Red Cross supports Musgrave Harbour evacuees in Gander
Minister of Justice and Public Safety John Haggie asked that everyone affected by the evacuation order register with the Red Cross. And if they are not intending to go to the centre in Gander, evacuees should still call 709-729-0921 to register.
“It’s important that we have that information so we can help you out even if you don’t use the Steel Centre itself,” said Haggie.
There is also now a road block at the entrance to Aspen Cove and Banting Memorial Park stationed by Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and Ground Search and Rescue.
The province says that Route 330 may need to be closed on short notice but that it will provide an update if required.
The minister also asked that people not fly drones, as they would prevent water bombers from flying in the area.
“Drones in the air means no water bombers in the air,” said Haggie. “That is our main weapon during the daylight hours of containing forest fires like this. So unauthorized drone use is actually a criminal offence.”
Residents attempting to evacuate without vehicles were advised to go to the Musgrave Harbour fire department to avail of busing transportation, and to be brought to Gander, said Town Clerk Amber Littlejohn, Sunday morning.
Littlejohn is also asked that residents drive safely, and tell friends and family where they are.
She also told CBC that the community was “drenched with smoke.”
The town fire department worked on putting out the fire overnight, said Littlejohn, who added that while they couldn’t see the fire from the town, she could see the crews working to fight it.
“We have a water bomber going back and forth. He’s picking up water from a designated area in the ocean there, off our beach,” she said.
Musgrave Harbour’s town council declared a state of emergency Sunday morning, according to a letter released on social media.
The letter states that the council has determined that the wildfire poses a serious safety risk to residents and property within the town.
Environment Canada has an air quality warning in place for Musgrave Harbour and the vicinity due to high levels of smoke from the fire.
As of 6:52 p.m., the province advised that the air quality in Gander is considered “moderate risk” and Grand Falls-Windsor is “low risk.”
“Forest fires can increase air pollution levels. Forest fire smoke contains particles and pollutants that can harm your health,” writes the province in the advisory.
Haggie says the health authority has extra support in place at the James Paton Memorial Regional Health Centre in Gander, for both physical and mental health needs.
He also advises residents to monitor official channels for updates.
Minister of Justice and Public Safety John Haggie called the wildfire “a significant and serious issue,” and says air quality is a concern for firefighters.
As wildfire still rages out of control in Chance Harbour as well, Haggie says “this is a really busy fire season for the province and certainly for the island at the moment.”
A previous air quality warning on the Bonavista peninsula, due to the fire near Chance Harbour, was lifted this morning.
According to the Active Wildfire Dashboard, the Chance Harbour fire remains at an estimated 1,660 hectares and is still considered out of control.
Provincial Fire Duty Officer Wesley Morgan says the wind has been helping keep the fire away from the nearby towns of Jamestown and Winter Brook.
In an 11 a.m. update, the forestry department said that Chance Harbour residents can also expect to see significant smoke from the southern end of the fire.
Three helicopters will continue to work the fire throughout the day, and ground crews will be deployed once it is safe to do so.
Ground crews are still working on the wildfires at Nine Island Pond and Northwest Brook.
At this time, Haggie says the province’s fire suppression resources are adequate to deal with the current situation. But if things get worse, the province will look at asking other provinces for help.
A fire ban is still in place across the entire province today. The province is reminding residents that open fires are still not permitted.
Haggie also wanted to remind people to be careful with cigarette butts.
“It is surprising the number of people who just casually toss them out of the window on the highway and we’ve seen that cause trouble before,” he said.
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