Cape Breton fire officials urge public to stay away from wildfire location
Cape Breton Regional Fire Service Platoon Chief Paul Ferguson said Saturday at 5:30 p.m. that fire officials were in the process of gathering information on the fire and assembling resources.
He is asking people to stay out of the area to allow crews to access the location.
The fire is not threatening any homes and is not expected to affect any residential neighbourhoods, he said.
"We're in the process of getting a line around the fire and we have air support from from the province," Ferguson said. "Right now it looks like we're in good shape."
Ferguson said the extent of the fire is still being determined.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
20 minutes ago
- CTV News
Wildfires near Thompson showing heightened activity
Lightning strikes near Thompson have resulted in several new fires near the city sparking Friday. Wildfires near Thompson are showing increased activity as the area contends with warm weather and a lack of moisture. In an update posted to social media, the city said the fire north of the region has been more active in its centre and northern edge. It added that crews were unable to do suppression work with helicopters and water bombers on Saturday due to smoky conditions. The area also saw two additional fires start over the weekend. As of Monday morning, Thompson remains under an air quality warning, with Environment and Climate Change Canada warning that wildfire smoke is causing poor air quality and reduced visibility. However, amid the smoky conditions, rain is forecast for the region beginning at 10 a.m. According to the latest provincial data, the main fire threatening the city is 16,370 hectares in size and remains out of control.
CBC
37 minutes ago
- CBC
Evacuation alert issued for Alberta town of Slave Lake as wildfire draws near
Thousands of people in the northern Alberta town of Slave Lake have been put on notice to prepare for a possible evacuation due to the threat of a wildfire. An evacuation alert now in effect includes everyone in the town, as well as some properties northeast of the townsite in the surrounding municipal district. According to the alert issued at 9 p.m. Sunday, people living within the town should be prepared to leave their homes within eight hours of the notice being issued. Those living within the evacuation zone in the surrounding Municipal District of Lesser Slave River, including properties along Devonshire Road North, should be prepared to evacuate within four hours. According to the alert, a wildfire burning northeast of Slave Lake and east of Highway 88 has put the town under threat. Forestry crews are actively working to contain the wildfire, but conditions remain volatile and can change quickly, and smoke has drifting toward the community, town officials cautioned in an update to residents on Sunday. While no evacuation is necessary, people should prepare to leave by packing essentials including medication, important documents, pet supplies, water and clothing, and by keeping their vehicles fuelled and ready, officials said. Around 7,000 people live in the town, surrounded by forest 255 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. The community is no stranger to the danger posed by wildfires. A wildfire burned about one-third of the town in May 2011, destroying nearly 400 homes and businesses. According to Alberta Wildfire's provincial dashboard, the fire northeast of Slave Lake began Sunday, sparked by a lightning strike. As of Sunday afternoon, the flames had burned across 44 hectares of forest and continued to burn out of control, northeast of Lesser Slave Lake. According to Alberta Wildfire, the blaze is among 11 now burning in the Slave Lake wildfire district. The wildfire danger in the region is considered very high, with officials monitoring closely for new fire activity amid hot and dry conditions and a cluster of lightning strikes over the weekend. While the fire near Slave Lake puts residents on edge, another cluster of fires in the district has already brought devastation to the region. One of the fires, now covering more than 137,000 hectares, moved in on the remote community of Chipewyan Lake in in late May, burning nearly half of the structures in the community, including its health centre and water treatment plant, to the ground. As the community, about 450 kilometres north of Edmonton, assesses the damage and faces the challenges of a long rebuild ahead, the 100 residents who call Chipewyan Lake home have remained under evacuation since May 28.
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Crews continue to battle out-of-control wildfires, but rainfall should help, says fire duty officer
As crews continue to battle a wildfire on the Avalon Peninsula and a blaze that ignited over the weekend in central Newfoundland, the provincial fire duty officer hopes forecasted rainfall will help suppression efforts. Wes Morgan said the Ragged Harbour fire, which is currently threatening Musgrave Harbour and prompted an evaluation order over the weekend, has grown from 500 hectares to 1,700 hectares. "It is quite a large fire. It is one of the largest fires this year," he told CBC Monday. But Morgan said the rate of the fire's spread has now slowed, and he expects precipitation to help firefighting efforts. It's not clear yet, he added, whether any buildings or homes have been destroyed. He also can't say when people might be able to return to the community. According to the provincial wildfire dashboard, as of Monday morning there are six fires burning across Newfoundland and Labrador, two of which are listed as under control. One is held and three are burning out of control, including the Ragged Harbour and Chance Harbour fires. The other fire burning out of control is the Winopaku fire in Labrador. The Chance Harbour wildfire, which ignited on July 14, has now burned through 1,800 hectares, said Morgan. "That spread was mostly due to the dryness in the area, and there was some backburning even though the prevailing winds have been southerly," he said. He also hopes rainfall will help suppress the fire there. Despite the number of fires still burning across the province, he said morale is still strong among firefighters. "I met with firefighters firsthand earlier this morning and their spirits are doing well. They're doing good and they're out and seem to be very positive," said Morgan. 'Mixed emotions' Evelyn Jess was camping in Jonathan's Pond over the weekend when she heard of the Musgrave Harbour's evacuation. She instantly worried about her parents, who were in the community. "I didn't hear of any fires happening the night before, even though the fire had started that night and residents were kind of on alert," she said. Jess said campers alerted of the evacuation by an alarm on their phones. 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. Jess said she and her family were able to meet up but by Monday morning she was feeling "mixed emotions." "It has definitely been a very interesting 24 hours. But you know, I've got a great support system," said Jess. The community is coming together to support one another while the fire continues to burn, she said.
