Residents of Salmon Cove flee a wildfire threatening the community on Thursday. (Henrike Wilhelm/CBC)
Latest updates:
- Kingston fire grows to 2,175 hectares.
- Evacuation order issued for Ochre Pit Cove and Salmon Cove.
- Martin Lake fire had marginal growth, holding at about 220 hectares.
- Bay D’espoir Highway remains open, closure being monitored.
- Holyrood fire remains hot, but no growth, holding at 22 hectares.
- Fines to increase to at least $50,000 in the next 24 hours for violating fire regulations
- Ottawa says military, coast guard, and humanitarian help is on the way to N.L.
- Evacuation orders still in place for Kingston, Perry’s Cove, Western Bay and Small Point-Adam’s Cove-Blackhead-Broad Cove, sections of Holyrood and Conception Bay South.
- Evacuation orders still in place for cabin area off of Route 360, Bay d’Espoir Highway, extended to Rushy Pond.
Premier John Hogan announced an evacuation order for two more communities in Conception Bay North; Ochre Pit Cove and Salmon Cove. Residents have been asked to leave immediately and register at Carbonear Academy — where the government has moved the evacuation centre.
It had been in Victoria, about five kilometres east of Salmon Cove.
Meanwhile, Ottawa has approved military and humanitarian help for wildfire-ravaged Newfoundland, according to the federal emergency management minister.
In a post on X early Thursday morning, Eleanor Olszewski said she had “approved an urgent request for federal assistance from Newfoundland and Labrador due to wildfires.”
The Canadian Forces, the coast guard “and humanitarian partners are mobilizing to support evacuations, firefighting, and the delivery of essential supplies. Help is on the way to Newfoundland,” she said.
The support in the ongoing fight against three raging wildfires is in addition to air support from New Brunswick, which arrived Wednesday.
The three fires that have forced evacuations of hundreds of people and put some communities on alert — the Kingston fire in Conception Bay North, the Holyrood fire and central Newfoundland fire in the Martin Lake area — are still burning out of control, said provincial fire duty officer Jeff Motty.
Provincial fire duty office Jeff Motty says aerial resources, like water bombers, will be shared between the Kingston and Holyrood fire. (Ryan Cooke/CBC)
Motty said the province will spread its aerial resources over the Kingston and Holyrood fires as needed on Thursday, including three water bombers, four helicopters and a bird dog.
“As we see fit between two of those fires, water bombers and helicopters are shared back and forth,” he told CBC Radio’s The St. John’s Morning Show.
At a Thursday afternoon update, Hogan said the fire burning in Conception Bay North has grown to 2,175 hectares, and remains active on its western edge.
Hogan said 30 ground crew members, four tankers, three helicopters and local fire departments are on the scene. Bulldozers are helping to build up fire breaks.
The fire in nearby Holyrood remains hot, but has no new growth, holding at 22 hectares, the premier said. Ten firefighters, a helicopter, local fire departments are holding that blaze.
WATCH | Salmon Cove, Ochre Pit Cove residents ordered to evacuate: 
Government expands evacuation orders to Salmon Cove, Ochre Pit Cove residents as C.B.N. wildfire continues to burn out of control
Premier John Hogan expanded the evacuation order in Conception Bay North, during a wildfire update Thursday morning.
To the west, in central Newfoundland, the Martin Lake fire near the Bay D’espoir Highway remains still fairly active, Hogan said.
That fire had marginal growth overnight and is holding at 220 hectares.
Hogan said an effort are being made to suppression the eastern and southern edge.
Though the Bay D’espoir Highway remains open, Hogan warned that closure could happen at a moment’s notice.
“If they need to get off of the [Connaigre] Peninsula for any reason, we suggest you make that decision sooner rather than later,” Hogan said.
Forest fires have closed roads and caused mandatory evacuations from several Avalon Peninsula communities along Conception Bay North, N.L., on Tuesday. (Paul Daly/The Canadian Press)
As for fines for anyone who breaks the provincewide fire ban, Hogan said details are still being worked out, but they’ll likely reach $50,000 for a first offence. He expects that to be in place within the next day.
“We feel that this is the right decision now, for people who are disobeying the laws, not paying attention, doing this recklessly or selfishly,” Hogan said.
“Those are the people that we want to look at and to punish for essentially violating the law, and putting other people’s lives at risk.”
Rain on wish list
Meteorologist Allison Sheppard said the forecast for the next few days is “maybe not the greatest for … fire conditions. But there’s no real strong winds so hopefully that works in their favour.”
However, she said don’t expect rain any time soon.
“There really is no significant rain right through the five, seven-day extended [forecast],” Sheppard said, adding warm temperatures are expected into next week with no rain to help fight the fires.
Motty said they’ve been facing hot and dry conditions and with no precipitation in the forecast, it’s a problem.
“Right now, if I could ask for one thing from Mother Nature, it’d be rain,” he said.
Light winds are better than gusting winds, he said, so that’s in their favour.
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