Rainfall continues to help crews fighting fires in Newfoundland and Labrador as the number of active wildfires drops from five to three, says the provincial fire duty officer.
The active wildfires are the Winokapu fire in Labrador and the Chance Harbour fire in Newfoundland. The Ragged Harbour fire, which forced nearby Musgrave Harbour residents to evacuate over the weekend, also continues to burn.
Wes Morgan said Wednesday morning that firefighters hit the ground on Tuesday to fight the Chance Harbour fire, located on the Bonavista Peninsula.
“The precipitation that was forecasted did come true and we did see significant amounts of rain — that was a real advantage to us,” he told CBC.
Morgan said they haven’t seen any additional fire growth, but it remains steady at 1,820 hectares.
“Overall, it was a really great day and spirits are good and crews were back out in that way again this morning,” he said.
“What we’re seeing now on the ground is a slow-moving ground fire, not a fast-moving fire.”
It is still considered to be burning out of control and Morgan said crews are working daily to suppress it but he couldn’t give a timeline for when it could be under control.
Morgan also couldn’t give an update on any property damage.
In central Newfoundland, the Musgrave Harbour fire has also stagnated and remains 1,660 hectares in size.
“The focus of [fighting] that fire will be on the northern and eastern edge, which is the closest portion of that fire to the community,” Morgan said, adding crews will get aerial support “as needed.”
There is currently a province-wide fire ban in effect, but Morgan couldn’t say when it could be lifted.
“The fire ban is based on multiple factors, including fire activity in the province,” he said.
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