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An estimated 203 structures have now been destroyed by the out-of-control Kingston fire burning in Conception Bay North.
Tuesday morning, Premier John Hogan said the estimate was based on the number of structures that lost power.
He said the 203 structures included 12 lost in Kingston, 33 in Small Point-Broad Cove-Blackhead-Adam’s Cove, 86 in Western Bay, 59 in Ochre Pit Cove and 13 in Northern Bay.
Hogan said it wasn’t necessarily all homes destroyed, rather structures with power, which could mean sheds or commercial structures.
He said the number could still grow higher.
As of Monday evening, 106 people were notified of structure losses, Hogan said.
Broken down further, he said property owners of 61 of those 86 structures in Western Bay were notified, and notifications were ongoing in Ochre Pit Cove and Northern Bay.
He said all owners of the 12 structures in Kingston and 33 in Adam’s Cove were notified.
Hogan said a post office was among the structures destroyed in Western Bay.
Justice Minister John Haggie said finding out who owns the structures can be difficult because sometimes they are passed on to family members without updated paperwork.
Haggie said municipalities take the lead in notifying residents of structure losses, but if the area is unincorporated, it is done by his department, except in the case of cabins. He said cabin owners are notified by the forestry department.
“The important thing is we want to be precise, and we don’t want to mislead anybody,” he said.
Hogan spoke about the challenge of contacting people. He said 10 telephone numbers for Western Bay weren’t in service, and nine people didn’t answer their phones after multiple calls.
“But we’ll continue to work through them.”
Hogan said fire suppression on the Kingston, Paddy’s Pond and Martin Lake wildfires went according to plan on Monday, and weather conditions were favourable with cooler temperatures, light winds and rain.
Hogan said weather conditions continued to look favourable for fire suppression on Tuesday.
However, he said a low ceiling was preventing aerial assets from being deployed Tuesday morning, but the conditions were ideal for ground crews.
Hogan said the Kingston fire was still burning out of control, but there was minimal growth.
As of Tuesday morning, it was 10,708 hectares. While that was larger than Monday’s reported size at 9,850 hectares, Hogan said the number increased due to more accurate mapping rather than actual fire growth.
He said the fire’s western and southern edges were active, with open flames and smoke.
Multiple water bombers and five heavy-capacity helicopters would fight the fire once conditions allowed them to be deployed, Hogan said. A low ceiling prevented their deployment Tuesday morning.
He said there was no concern for communities on the Trinity Bay side of Conception Bay North, or Bay de Verde and Old Perlican.
There was also no concern about the fire spreading to Victoria, a community which was still on an evacuation alert Tuesday morning.
Hogan said the Paddy’s Pond fire was still 318 hectares Tuesday morning.
He said high humidity and cooler temperatures helped contain the fire. The construction of a fuel break and ground suppression also helped.
The air assets previously used on the Paddy’s Pond fire were relocated, and Tuesday morning only ground crews were fighting the fire.
Hogan said the Martin Lake fire in central Newfoundland remained out of control Tuesday morning, but there was no growth. It was still 1,770 hectares.
He said the fire remained active with hot spots and smoke.
Hogan said he anticipated the Bay d’Espoir Highway would remain open on Tuesday.
According to the provincial fire hazard map, as of Tuesday morning, the only areas in the province considered to be at an extreme risk of fire are portions of the Bonavista Peninsula as well as the Trinity Bay area. The rest of the island of Newfoundland ranges from a low to very high risk of fire, whereas in Labrador the risk ranges from a low to high fire risk.
As of Monday evening, evacuation orders remain in effect for Small Point–Broad Cove–Blackhead–Adam’s Cove, Salmon Cove, Western Bay, Kingston, Perry’s Cove, Ochre Pit Cove and Burnt Point-Gull Island-Northern Bay.
Evacuation alerts, where residents are advised to be ready to leave, are in effect for Victoria, Job’s Cove and Freshwater.
A regional state of emergency is in place for a portion of the Bay de Verde Peninsula, from Bristol’s Hope to Whiteway.
Access to cabin areas in Rushy Pond Road, Martin Lake Road and Miguels Lake Road are closed and the area is under an evacuation advisory.
The off-road vehicle restriction remains in place for forested areas where fire index is high, very high or extreme. It will be in place until 11:59 p.m. NT on Wednesday, when it will be reviewed based on fire conditions.
Off-road vehicles include ATVs, quads, side-by-sides and dirt bikes.
Fines for breaching the provincewide fire ban also remain in place.
Meteorologist Haley Wigmore says the northeast Avalon Peninsula and Bonavista region will have showers throughout Tuesday and overnight, dropping between 10 to 15 millimetres of rain. Temperatures will be in the mid-teens.
She added the south coast is getting showers, which will taper off and conditions will remain cloudy overnight.
Environment Canada has issued a special air quality statement for St. John’s and the surrounding area due to smoke from the Kingston fire. An air quality warning is in effect for the north Avalon Peninsula.
As of Tuesday morning, the smoke is hanging thick in St. John’s and the air smells strongly of smoke. Meteorologist Graham McDonald said that’s because smoke from the Kingston fire is being blown over St. John’s but he said it should pass.
“We have a nice plume of rain kind of moving up into St. John’s here soon. That should do a good number on the smoke,” he said.
He suggested people limit outdoor physical activity and stay indoors.
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