The deputy mayor of a town in southern Newfoundland said Monday that his community is running out of food as it remains cut off from the rest of the island by the worst wildfires the province has seen in more than 60 years. Roy Drake said the three grocery stores in Harbor Breton, New York, will likely run out of food within the next day or two. Drake said he owns one of those stores — the smallest of three in the town of about 1,600 — and already, there isn’t a jug of milk or a loaf of bread left on any of his shelves. “Things are starting to get stressful for most residents,” Drake said in a phone interview from city hall. “We need to bring in food within a day or so for them to help us. Not just for Port Breton, but for the whole area.” The province said in a press release Monday night that it has begun airlifting essential goods by helicopter to the blockaded communities. Over the past two weeks, wildfires have forced officials to intermittently close a remote 200-kilometer route that connects Newfoundland’s main highway to the island’s Connaigre Peninsula, home to the towns of Harbor Breton, Hermitage and Conne. River. The last time the road was opened was last Thursday morning, according to the Forestry Department. The province has declared a state of emergency that stretches from the Connaigre Peninsula up the highway to the towns of Bishop’s Falls, Grand Falls-Windsor and Botwood, primarily due to smoke and air quality concerns. Officials said Saturday that the fires are burning in a remote area and the flames do not pose a threat to any homes or residents. As of Monday afternoon, the Forest Department estimated that the two main fires in the region had together covered more than 160 square kilometers. Typically, wildfires in Newfoundland and Labrador are no larger than five square kilometers, Jeff Motty, the province’s wildfire officer, said in an interview, adding that both fires were out of control. The fire, which started in an area called Paradise Lake, was located 15 miles from Grand Falls-Windsor, and crews were working Monday afternoon to build a firebreak that would keep the flames from creeping closer to the city, Motty said. . Over the weekend, the two fires were predicted to merge, but Sunday’s winds were not as strong as predicted and the air was wetter than expected, he said. With little rain expected on Tuesday, Moti said there was less concern that the fires would join forces. “But still some huge fires down there in the landscape,” Moti said. Quebec has sent firefighters and aircraft to help fight the flames. “It’s not very often that we bring in resources this expensive,” Moti said, noting that he was pleased that provincial officials complied with the request for assistance. In a video posted to social media Saturday night, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey described one of the fires as the largest the province has seen since 1961. The Canadian Red Cross has set up an emergency shelter for those stranded north of the fires in central Newfoundland. On Monday, Grand Falls-Windsor officials offered twice-daily shuttles to emergency shelters in nearby Deer Lake for residents wishing to escape the smoke. For those stranded south of the fires on the Connaigre Peninsula, the provincial Department of Transportation recruited a ship to bring supplies to the stranded communities and help people evacuate.
The ship was expected to arrive on Tuesday. But in the government’s press release announcing the helicopters would bring supplies, it also said the Sound of Islay ship, which was supposed to do the job, had been delayed by mechanical difficulties and was in St. John’s for repairs. He said there would be an update when the repairs were complete. David Neal, preparedness warning meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the fires were sparked July 24 by lightning in the midst of an unusually hot and dry summer. “It’s a very unique situation,” he said, though he hesitated to attribute it directly to the province’s changing climate. Neil said there was about 10mm of rain for the area on Tuesday. “It’s not much rain,” he admitted. “But at the very least, it should bring some help to the people trying to contain the fire.” Federal New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh issued a statement Monday saying the fires are proof that Justin Trudeau’s Liberals must do more to fight climate change. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 8, 2022.
