
About 100 homes destroyed by Kingston fire, says N.L premier
Latest updates:
About 100 homes destroyed by Kingston fire, which has grown to 8,019 hectares.
Four fines issued for breaking fire ban.
Evacuation advisory expands for cabin owners near the Martin Lake fire. Evacuation area now includes the Paradise Lake area.
Off-road vehicle ban issued Wednesday for forested areas, in place until at least Sunday.
Evacuation order in place for Three Island Pond area of Paradise.
Evacuation alert in place for parts of Paradise and C.B.S., as well as the Southlands and Galway neighbourhoods of St. John's.
Regional state of emergency issued for parts of Conception Bay South, St. John's and Conception Bay North.
Bay d'Espoir Highway remains closed between Sunday Pond Resource Road to the Cat Brook turnaround.
Martin Lake fire is 2,160 hectares.
High-capacity helicopter arrived Wednesday.
Cooler weather, rainfall in forecast expected to help.
A wildfire that has been burning for almost two weeks in Conception Bay North has destroyed about 100 homes, said Premier John Hogan in a live update Thursday morning.
He said due to the extreme fire behaviour it's "next to impossible" to determine the exact number of structures that have been destroyed by the Kingston fire, but the best estimate puts it at about 100 homes.
He said the fire was 8,019 hectares in size and had reached Northern Bay, with most of its growth on the western edge and inland, away from the coast.
As of Thursday morning, ground crews were working to secure its southern edge, and a fire break was completed. Hogan called their work a "big success" in slowing down the fire.
He said on Thursday there will be between one to two water bombers, a high-capacity helicopter, three other helicopters and a ground crew on site.

Paddy's Pond fire continues to burn out of control
Meanwhile, Hogan said the Paddy's Pond fire was still burning out of control at about 306 hectares. The winds were expected to shift, which will help push the fire back into the flames. Cooler temperatures, cloud cover and humidity was also favourable, even without rain, he said.
Hogan said some fire breaks were completed, and three to four water bombers would be on site Thursday, as well as helicopters, a bird dog and firefighters.

A fire burning near Paddy's Pond, N.L., on Aug. 11, 2025. (Submitted to CBC by Peter Gullage)
In central Newfoundland, Hogan said the Martin Lake fire was 2,160 hectares and some cabins were destroyed. It was located 16 kilometres south of Grand Falls-Winsdor, and about 140 metres from the Bay d'Espoir Highway.
He said the highway remains closed, and it won't reopen on Thursday. Hogan said people should be prepared for it to be closed for a couple of days.
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Rain in the forecast
However, he said the forecast is looking better.
"Mother Nature is giving us a little bit of a break, and crews are expecting a good day in parts of the province in regards to fire suppression," Hogan said.
Rainfall in the forecast paired with cooling temperatures and higher relative humidity in the air had Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial fire duty officer hopeful the fight against out-of-control wildfires will take a positive turn.

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Mark Lawlor said incoming rain and a break in hot temperatures "most certainly will" help firefighting efforts.
He said high relative humidity on Thursday will also help firefighters on the ground, as well as make fire suppression efforts from the air more effective.
"Hopefully this will be a very good day," Lawlor told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show.
A heavy capacity helicopter that arrived in Gander on Wednesday was also a boon, he added, as it can carry 4,000 litres of water. The helicopter will be used on Thursday.
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Charges laid
On Thursday, Hogan also announced a person on the west coast was fined $50,000 for setting a campfire, and someone in St. John's received three $50,000 fines related to fires set in the city earlier this week.
The RNC said a man was charged with arson for allegedly setting brush fires.
Hogan said fines act as a deterrent, and increasing them has helped raise the public's awareness of the danger of wildfires.

"I do think it definitely will help people understand the risks that they're putting themselves in financially, or their security, and they may end up in jail," he said.
'Very successful'
Lawlor said the Paddy's Pond fire didn't grow overnight, calling it a "good story."
"And hopefully with the higher relative humidity today we'll have a good day working on that fire."

He added Wednesday's suppression efforts were "very successful" and he hopes with aircraft and ground crews, they could continue to hold the fire throughout Thursday.
A sprinkler line was also set up around Perry's Pond in order to prevent possible back burning from the wind, said Lawlor.
They also constructed two kilometres of fire guard on the north side of the fire in case of any growth.
He said the Holyrood fire was considered under control, and they will continue to monitor the fire for the next few days.
According to Department of Justice and Public Safety spokesperson Eric Humber, 1,902 households and 3,590 individuals had registered with the Canadian Red Cross because of the wildfires as of Wednesday.
On Wednesday evening, the evacuation advisory expanded for cabin owners near the Martin Lake fire to include the Paradise Lake area, in addition to the previously-issued advisories for the Martin Lake, Great Rattling Brook and Rushy Pond areas and access roads. The forestry department advised all cabin owners to leave immediately.
The Bay d'Espoir Highway between Sunday Pond Resource Road to the Cat Brook turnaround was closed.
WATCH: Much-need rain incoming for Atlantic Canada
Not a 'deluge' of rain
Environment Canada had two weather alerts issued for the province — an air quality statement for the northern Avalon Peninsula and St. John's area, as well as a heat warning for most of the province.
Dry conditions had hindered firefighting efforts, but on Thursday morning there were reports of rainfall scattered across the island.
Meteorologist Robert Grove said the Avalon Peninsula is getting a cold front with showers late Friday afternoon and into the evening, with weekend temperatures dipping into the mid-teens.
"A stark difference, but I imagine a welcomed difference for many," he said, adding the drop in temperatures was good news for efforts to fight wildfires.
"You don't have the hot temperatures and that takes part of their fuel source away."
While the forecasted rainfall won't be a "deluge," Grove said it will be a "good amount of rain" on Friday night, possibly between five to 10 millimetres.
"Obviously we need a lot more, but it's a good start."
He said the Avalon Peninsula will be cloudy but still warm.
"Still not cool enough, for sure, for what most people are looking for at this point."
He said the winds will be southerly, gusting from 30 kilometres per hour to 50 kilometres per hour, and smoke from the Paddy's Pond fire will blow over to the Conception Bay South area. The Kingston fire's smoke will blow up the northern portion of the Bay de Verde area.
The provincial fire hazard map still considered most of the island of Newfoundland at an extreme risk of fire on Thursday, with portions of the west coast considered to be between very high and extremely high risk of fire. Labrador was considered to be between a moderate and an extreme risk of fire.
On Wednesday, Premier John Hogan announced an off-road vehicle ban in forested areas where the fire index is between high and extreme. It will be in effect until Aug. 17.
Impact to health services
Some health-care services continued to be negatively impacted by the wildfires.
Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services announced on Wednesday some services at acute care facilities in St. John's would be postponed throughout the week, including urgent and emergent surgeries and non-urgent outpatient endoscopy procedures.
"All services and appointments will continue to be assessed throughout the week and updates will be provided if needed," said the statement.
Dr. Angela Bussey, clinical chief of surgical services for the eastern-urban zone, said the decision was made out of an abundance of caution.
"Certainly, taking into account our staff, the stress that everyone is under and the safety of our staff and our patients, we decided postponement is the best option for us right now, " she said.
Many staff and patients live in areas that are under evacuation or alerts, added Bussey.
She hoped these patients would be rebooked in the coming weeks.
Bussey said emergent, urgent surgeries, cancer operations and cardiac care were going ahead.
Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell, speaking at Thursday morning's wildfire update alongside Hogan, said her department and the health authority were monitoring the situation so that residents have health-care services as they need them.
She stressed emergency services were still available, and emergency rooms were still open. She said people can call 911 for emergencies.
Howell said the health authority is creating a phone line for patients to call about their appointments, and get information. She said it will be available by the end of the day Thursday.
WATCH: Wildfire forced closure along stretch of Trans-Canada Hwy in Newfoundland Monday
ATV ban
On Wednesday, the province announced it was bringing in a temporary provincewide ban for off-road vehicles in forested areas where the fire index is high to extreme.
The ban — which includes ATVs, quads, side-by-sides, and dirt bikes — will be in effect until at least Aug. 17.
On Thursday, Hogan clarified that forested lands include areas with trees, shrubs, marsh, bog, barrens and trails.
"I would ask everybody to use the spirit of what we're trying to do here, and not look for exceptions to the rule," he said.
Hogan said the province will be asking the federal government to extend employment insurance flexibility for affected workers, as well as expedite benefits for people impacted by the wildfires.
This article, written by Elizabeth Whitten, was originally published for CBC News Header image courtesy of Ted Dillon/CBC.