Communities surrounding out of control wildfire told to be ready to flee
Residents of Jamestown and Winter Brook on Newfoundland's Bonavista Peninsula are being asked to be prepared to evacuate quickly as a wildfire continues to burn nearby.
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Chance Harbour is receiving the most attention of the seven fires burning in the province as all others are either under control or being held, said Provincial fire duty officer Mark Lawlor.
He said there's been no change in size of the 1,200-hectare fire as of Wednesday but weather conditions can rapidly change.
"The predictions we have are that the fire shouldn't reach those two communities [Jamestown and Winter Brook on Wednesday]," he told CBC News.
"If the temperature gets higher, the relative humidity gets lower, and the wind speed increases significantly, that prediction could fail and we could see the fire moving faster than we predicted."
A statement from the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture sent Tuesday night said "forecasted north-northwest winds have the potential for heavy smoke and fire growth" toward communities.
That forecast is still valid as of Wednesday morning, said Lawlor, although the flames sit 6 kilometres away from residential areas.
'A helpless feeling'
Courtney Russell is one of the people playing the waiting game in Winter Brook.
She said there was something eerie about looking out her window Wednesday morning, watching the haze drift through the air.
"All the smoke is kind of creeping back into our bay," said Russell.
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Russell and her family have their essentials packed away in a car in case they need to leave at a moment's notice but said waiting for the call to leave is gut wrenching.
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"My heart goes out to the crowd out in Pudding Cove … There's been so many cabins lost already and there's cabins that are still at risk of being burned now," said Russell.
"It's a devastating feeling. It's a helpless feeling. I would not wish this on anybody," she added.
The tight knit community is collectively holding its breath, and according to Russell they are putting a lot of faith in the water bombers and the firefighters steadily suppressing the flames.
Residents of communities near Chance Harbour have been told to be prepared to leave home any moment. (Submitted by Patsy Humby)
Meanwhile in Labrador, Lawlor said crews have a "good handle" on the fires near Cartwright and Winokapu.
While the Winokapu fire — 15 kilometres south of the Trans Labrador Highway on the North side of the Churchill River — is technically considered to be out of control, it's not considered a threat but a smouldering ground fire.
Lawlor said a water bomber and helicopters are stationed in Happy Valley-Goose Bay if needed, but he feels there are adequate resources in Labrador at the moment.
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This article, written by Maddie Ryan, was originally published for CBC News.