Two fires burning in New Brunswick remain out of control as of Tuesday morning, according to the provincial fire dashboard, with one of the blazes more than doubling in size overnight.
The Oldfield Road fire, about 15 kilometres north of Miramichi, has grown from 450 hectares on Monday to an estimated 1,120 hectares, the equivalent of 11.2 square kilometres, on Tuesday.
The Irishtown fire near Moncton, also called the 115 Pit fire, has decreased in size, from its last reported 54 hectares to an estimated 45 hectares as of Tuesday morning.
Andrew Nobles, who’s visiting his parents in nearby Shediac Cape, says he’s had an opportunity to see water bombers refilling in the bay.
“It was a pretty busy day on the water, so a bit of a hectic scene,” Nobles told CBC, adding the planes flew right over his parents’ house on their way to battle the Irishtown blaze.
“The skill of these crews that come in and do the work that they do is nothing short of spectacular,” he said.
The Irishtown fire, seen here on Aug. 11, has decreased in size between Monday and Tuesday, from 54 hectares to 45 hectares. (Government of New Brunswick)
Several other wildfires burning across New Brunswick are considered under control.
The Wedge Extension fire, located about 20 kilometres south of Bathurst near the Bathurst mine site, is now classified as contained at 1.1 hectares. It was initially declared out of control on Monday afternoon, when its size was unknown.
Two other fires in the province are categorized as contained, according to the dashboard — the Slash fire in York County and the Black River fire near Kouchibouguac.
Firefighters from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are helping fight a fire in Maple Hills on the outskirts of Moncton, which is still out of control but is now down to 45 hectares, compared with 54 hectares on Monday.
The dashboard also notes six other fires it categorizes as “being patrolled,” which indicates the fire is fully contained, with no fire activity and only occasional smoke found.
Fire risk across New Brunswick remains extreme, leading to continued restrictions on activity that could spark a blaze.
Crown land has been closed to activities including camping, hiking and using off-road vehicles since midnight Sunday, and remains closed until further notice.
There are no evacuation orders issued for the Irishtown fire at this point, but people living in the Irishtown, Tankville, Evangeline and Lakeville areas are asked to stay prepared to evacuate on short notice.
Near Miramichi, Route 8 is still closed between MacKinnon Road and Highway 450, as well as portions of Oldfield Road and Russellville Road.
A burn ban remains in place for the entire province until further notice, and an Environment Canada heat warning for the entire province — save for the Bay of Fundy coast — is expected to remain in place until Wednesday, with maximum daytime temperatures expected to reach up to 36 C.
The provincial Emergency Measures Organization, or EMO, is maintaining a list of comfort centres across the province that have opened for relief from the heat.
The list includes centres in Miramichi, Upper Kent, Glassville, Irishtown, and McAdam.