'A fire season like no other': N.L. issues month-long fire ban for entire province

CBC

7 hours ago

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Ban will be revisited Sept. 7
Newfoundland and Labrador has issued a provincewide fire ban as two out-of-control wildfires on the island's Avalon Peninsula continue to burn on Tuesday and threaten more evacuations.
Forestry Minister Lisa Dempster calls this summer "a fire season like no other," and the number of wildfires so far this year — 192 according to government data — is putting a lot of stress on communities, provincial services and the environment.
"A provincewide fire ban helps reduce the risk of wildfires and supports our efforts of suppression," Dempster told reporters during a media availability Tuesday afternoon.
Dempster, who attended the meeting virtually, said the ban is in place until Sept. 7, and will be revisited at that time.
Violating the fire ban, she said, can result in a fine of no less than $1,000.
'Historic numbers'
Speaking on the two wildfires — one near Kingston and the other near Holyrood, which have prompted hundreds of people to evacuate this week — Premier John Hogan said he understands it's a difficult time for impacted residents.
"No doubt it is a very serious situation," he said.
Hogan asked residents across the province to be diligent about accidentally starting fires while in wooded areas, including when driving ATVs and using chainsaws.
"It's no secret this has been an unbelievable, historic, dry season on the island, which is one of the major reasons we're seeing the abundance of forest fires," Hogan said.
"We can't control mother nature of course but we can control what we're doing."
The nearly 200 wildfires this summer have burned roughly 8,400 hectares of land across Newfoundland and Labrador.
Hogan called it "historic numbers."
As of Tuesday morning, Hogan said he could confirm the Kingston fire destroyed structures overnight, which he said wasn't surprising seeing as it had grown to 735 hectares.
He said forestry crews are holding the line, but the fire burned aggressively through the night. He said it burned along Adam's Cove and Small Point.
That fire remains very active, and two water bombers, a helicopter and bird dog are on the scene on Tuesday, plus ground crews.
Hogan said the focus is on protecting structures in the communities and suppression efforts on the south edge — along the highway — to prevent the fire from growing in that direction.
He said there was no overnight growth on the fire near Holyrood, which is 22 hectares in size, and ground crews will work on hot spots throughout Tuesday by dropping buckets from helicopters.
"We continue to make good progress on this fire," Hogan said, adding there's no report of structures having been destroyed.
RCMP Chief Supt. Pamela Robinson said residents feel anxious, but investigations are ongoing.
"I need to stress that we cannot investigate what is not reported," she said.
Even if people are able to put out a small brush fire, she urged them to report it.
Robinson said fire investigations are very complex and take time, and can be complicated further by evacuations.
She asked people with information, including about suspicious activity, to contact the local police department.
"Our communities are close-knit and information and rumours can spread very quickly, which then in turn, turn into fear and frustration," she said.