The rapid growth of a long wildfire in central Newfoundland has prompted a state of emergency in the region and the extension of an outdoor fire ban across the province.
Premier Andrew Furey told reporters on Sunday that the state of emergency was declared last night in the Grand Falls-Windsor, Bishop’s Falls and Connaigre Peninsula areas, “not to create panic” but to ensure residents and officials are ready to react if the situation deteriorates further.  The state of emergency was extended to the Botwood area on Sunday afternoon.
“In the last 36 hours, things have changed,” Furey told a news conference, along with Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture Minister Derrick Bragg and Department of Natural Resources incident commander Craig Coady.
“We predicted we could handle it.  However, with the change in wind, we fear there will be a significant smoke effect.”
“This is a precautionary measure and there is no immediate risk of fire to homes or residents,” the province said in a statement.
Fuey said the current forecast path of the fire itself is not directly affecting any communities, but changing wind patterns were making the situation difficult to handle.
He said that prompted him to ask Public Safety Minister John Hogan to declare a state of emergency and urged some neighboring communities to prepare for a possible evacuation.
“This is a dynamic, evolving situation, as all fires are, but we can’t wait until the last minute – we have to act now,” Fuey said.
The fire has been burning for nearly two weeks in central Newfoundland and has caused road closures, including the Bay d’Espoir Highway, which is the only road connecting the communities of Harbor Breton, Hermitage and Conne River to the Trans-Canada Highway .  the main thoroughfare of the province.
Coady said the fires will likely continue to burn out of control because of the weather.
“Over the last couple of days, we’ve seen some extreme fire behavior,” he said at the news conference.  “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 and Furey both said smoke poses the most significant risk to nearby communities, adding that winds also make it difficult for firefighters to control the flames.
“If the (water) bombers can’t see in front of the fire and there’s a lot of smoke, it’s not safe for them to operate,” Coady said.
Overall, the province is using water bombers — two from Quebec, in addition to the province helping with a dog aircraft — and helicopters to fight the fires.
In a video posted on social media Saturday night, Fourey described a wildfire as the largest the province has seen since 1961. As of Sunday, the provincial government reported four active fires covering about 10,800 hectares.
Jeff Motty, the Forestry Department’s provincial duty officer, said the department hopes to change the status of the fire near Southern Lake Access Road, which started July 31, before the end of the weekend.
“We’re working very hard on this, we have a lot of resources,” Motty said in an interview Sunday.  “We probably won’t put it out, but we’ll get it right.”
Federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair tweeted that he had approved Newfoundland’s request for government assistance and that Canadian Armed Forces personnel would be deployed to assist provincial and municipal officials in evacuation efforts.
Furey said he asked the Central Health District to create an evacuation plan for hospitals, long-term care homes and personal care homes.
In a statement Sunday, however, the Newfoundland government said Central Health would not take steps to evacuate the Dr.  Hugh Twomey right now.
“Efforts will be supported to move those who need additional care out of the immediate vicinity of smoke,” the statement said.
Grand Falls resident Alexandra Catherine said the thought of leaving her home and most of her belongings behind was terrifying.
“We packed everything last night, clothes and some personal items that cannot be replaced,” Catherine said in an interview on Facebook Messenger.
“I’m not taking any chances with two young children at home – we’ll leave and head west.”
Vicktoria A. Prowse-Hunter, another Grand Falls resident, echoed Catherine’s plan.
“I have my bags packed, ready to go when we get the order to go,” Prowse-Hunter said in an interview on Facebook Messenger.
Prowse-Hunter said she was woken up by smoke the morning after the fire started.
“It was a hot night so I had all my windows open and woke up at 7am coughing uncontrollably,” she said.  “That’s when I knew it was serious.”
The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture tweeted Sunday morning that the Canadian Red Cross and Salvation Army will provide emergency services to those stranded on the Trans-Canada Highway as a result of the closure of the Bay d’Espoir Highway.
It said in a statement that the Canadian Red Cross was moving shelter services and resources from Grand Falls-Windsor to Deer Lake “for people who may be affected by the emergency.”
Meanwhile, Bragg asked residents to be “smart.”
The department said the outdoor fire ban, which was extended across the province on Sunday, prohibits fires on or within 300 meters of forest land.
“Last night I saw two people throwing cigarette butts and I thought that was absolutely crazy,” Bragg said.  “This is reckless and we don’t need it.”
“You can build your own barbecue, but no, and I can’t say it’s strong enough, if you’re out in a wooded area, don’t have any kind of open fire.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 7, 2022.