The state of emergency covers the Grand Falls-Windsor, Bishop’s Falls and Connaigre Peninsula areas. In a video statement posted on social media Saturday night, Premier Andrew Furey called it the worst fire situation in Newfoundland since 1961 and said while the fires are not threatening communities right now, “the wind is changing and the tobacco distribution pattern will change significantly.” “This is a dynamic situation,” he said, flanked on the video by Forestry Minister Derek Bragg and incident commander Jason Glode. Furey said they have asked the Central Health District to create an evacuation plan for hospitals, long-term care homes and personal care homes should the need arise, and people living in the affected communities should also be alert for possible evacuation. . “We don’t want to create panic, but we have to act in a responsible way given the current threat level,” he said. In a tweet Saturday night, federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said he had approved the Newfoundland and Labrador government’s request for assistance from the Canadian Forces. Blair said staff would help “plan and coordinate evacuation and movement operations from affected areas.” I have approved a Request for Federal Assistance from —@BillBlair Fires in central Newfoundland have been burning for two weeks, and the largest, near the Bay d’Espoir Highway, has forced the ongoing closure of the only road in and out of the Connaigre Peninsula. In a video statement Saturday night, Bragg said officials are concerned that given the forecasted weather conditions, this fire will be combined with another burn near Paradise Lake. “We may see the fire run up to 10 kilometers,” Glode said. “That puts us about 10 to 15 kilometers from Grand Falls-Windsor and our main concern is going to be smoke, but also embers and hot ash and things falling on property.” On Sunday afternoon in central Newfoundland, temperatures could reach 28C and winds could reach 35km/h. Glode is asking people in the affected communities to “smart fire” their properties – including mowing grass, cleaning rot and any flammable materials from their property and weeping any trees abutting their homes. Glode said crews are building a fire along the county’s transmission lines. “This is our line of defense in terms of affected communities if the fire gets to that point,” he said. Environment Canada has issued an air quality statement for northeastern Newfoundland, including Grand Falls-Windsor, Clarenville, the Bonavista Peninsula and the Terra Nova area.
