Chance Harbour fire has seen 'some expansion,' says fire duty officer
Provincial fire duty officer Wes Morgan said about a dozen firefighters were in Chance Harbour, suppressing the still out of control wildfire there on Thursday. He said the work will continue throughout Friday.
"The fire did not expand a lot, but there was some expansion on the head, which heads toward the saltwater," Morgan told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show.
He said an update on the fire's size — previously listed as 1,200 hectares — is coming soon.
Wind allowed crews to approach the southern portion of that fire, said Morgan. The perimeter is being maintained on the fire's eastern portion, he said, so nearby communities of Jamestown and Winter Brook are no longer on high alert for a potential evacuation.
Morgan said firefighters are hoping for some humidity and participation, even if it's light, to help firefighting efforts.
Meanwhile, some resources were diverted to a small fire that broke out in Lewisporte Thursday.
"You will see some ground crews out there [Friday] morning working with local fire departments," said Morgan. "The fire has been held with quick response from the air support."
According to the province's wildfire dashboard there are eight active fires as of Friday morning.
'A tense time'
In Conception Bay North, some residents are facing a familiar situation.
Morgan said a five-hectare wildfire came close to homes in Small Point on Thursday, but were spared from any damage, although one shed was destroyed.
To the best of Morgan's knowledge, the fire hasn't spread since Thursday night.
However, Small Point-Broad Cove-Blackhead-Adam's Cove residents are still on edge, with May's devastating fire still fresh in their minds.
"It was a tense time for quite a while until we had a water bomber on scene," said Mayor Curtis Delaney, adding some people left town.
The road through the town was closed for a short time Thursday night and police are advising residents to only travel through the area if necessary.
Delaney said people are in fear of the fire turning into something like the one that ravaged Adam's Cove only two months ago.
"Eventually if these fires keep up, there's going to end up being loss of life because, as I said, this is becoming a regular occurrence out here," he said.
Crews are on guard against smoke and hot spots on Friday, according to Delaney, and he hopes "people might actually get a little bit of sleep."
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