Fires continue to rage across central Newfoundland after another hot and dry weekend – but it’s not just central that’s feeling the burn. Bell Island and the city of Wabana are under a fire truck after a busy weekend battling a number of fires across the city. Mayor Gary Gosine says they received calls for about seven or eight different fires over the course of Saturday and Sunday that resulted in a fire truck engulfed in flames. Gosine explains that while crews were on the scene, the fire got so hot that it caught the muffler and exhaust system and blew up the pump house. The Mayor says they have reported to the RCMP and insurance, and hope to make things right and get a new pump station for the city. However, he is not sure how long it will take. He says until it’s replaced, they don’t have significant equipment to fight a fire, and the truck that burned was one used on wildfires and larger fires. In a surprising twist, Gosine believes the Bell Island fires may not have been of natural causes. He says he doesn’t believe all the fires they had over the weekend were natural fires and blames some on arson. Gosine says people need to understand the damage a wildfire can cause and now they are without important equipment and safety for people on Bell Island.
