Widespread fires have consumed thousands of hectares of forest in Newfoundland and Labrador over the past two weeks and remain out of control. “In the last 36 hours, things have changed,” Prime Minister Andrew Fury told reporters on Sunday. “We predicted we could handle it. However, with the wind changing, we fear there will be significant smoke impacts… This is a dynamic, evolving situation as all fires are, but we cannot wait until the last minute – we must act now.” Furey said his government issued the state of emergency “not to create panic” but to ensure the province was better able to manage the rapidly changing situation. Fires have been burning for nearly two weeks in central Newfoundland, aided by high winds. The Paradise Lake fire is estimated to be over 6,500 hectares (16,062 acres) and the Bay d’Espoir fire is over 5,000 hectares (12,355 acres). Large wildfires are relatively rare in the Atlantic Province. But a summer of dry, intense heat has left its forests vulnerable to the huge and fast-moving blazes. Craig Coady, incident commander for the department of natural resources, told reporters that crews had seen “extreme fire behavior” in recent days that concerned officials. “We expect to see that continue for today and possibly for the next few days. This is due to strong winds and low humidity.” Coady said heavy smoke is complicating efforts to fight the fires. “If the [water] The bombers can’t see in front of the fire and it’s too smoky, it’s not safe to operate,” he said, adding that poor air quality was also the biggest problem for residents around the hotel. The province has not yet ordered an evacuation, but officials said they are prepared to order residents to leave any communities at risk. Canadian military personnel will be deployed to help with evacuation efforts, federal emergency preparedness minister Bill Blair tweeted Sunday. The province also expanded its open fire ban, which now prohibits fires on or within 300 meters of forest land. The move is necessary to help reduce the chance of new fires starting by accident or negligence. “Last night I saw two people throwing cigarette butts and I thought that was absolutely crazy,” Derrick Bragg, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, told reporters. “This is reckless and we don’t need it.”
