Crews continue to battle out-of-control wildfires, but rainfall should help
Wes Morgan hopes rainfall will help suppress Ragged Harbour, Chance Harbour fires
As crews continue to battle a wildfire on the Avalon Peninsula and a blaze that ignited over the weekend in central Newfoundland, the provincial fire duty officer hopes forecasted rainfall will help suppression efforts.
Wes Morgan said the Ragged Harbour fire, which is currently threatening Musgrave Harbour and prompted an evacuation order over the weekend, has grown from 500 hectares to 1,700 hectares.
"It is quite a large fire. It is one of the largest fires this year," he told CBC Monday.
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But Morgan said the rate of the fire's spread has now slowed, and he expects precipitation to help firefighting efforts.
It's not clear yet, he added, whether any buildings or homes have been destroyed. He also can't say when people might be able to return to the community.
According to the provincial wildfire dashboard, as of Monday morning there are six fires burning across Newfoundland and Labrador, two of which are listed as under control. One is held and three are burning out of control, including the Ragged Harbour and Chance Harbour fires. The other fire burning out of control is the Winopaku fire in Labrador.
Provincial fire duty officer Wes Morgan is hoping rainfall will help with efforts to fight out of control fires. (Submitted by Peter Barfoot
The Chance Harbour wildfire, which ignited on July 14, has now burned through 1,800 hectares, said Morgan.
"That spread was mostly due to the dryness in the area, and there was some backburning even though the prevailing winds have been southerly," he said.
He also hopes rainfall will help suppress the fire there.
Despite the number of fires still burning across the province, he said morale is still strong among firefighters.
"I met with firefighters firsthand earlier this morning and their spirits are doing well. They're doing good and they're out and seem to be very positive," said Morgan.
'Mixed emotions'
Evelyn Jess was camping in Jonathan's Pond over the weekend when she heard of the Musgrave Harbour's evacuation. She instantly worried about her parents, who were in the community.
"I didn't hear of any fires happening the night before, even though the fire had started that night and residents were kind of on alert," she said.
Jess said campers alerted of the evacuation by an alarm on their phones.
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Musgrave Harbour evacuees were advised to go to a reception centre in Gander at the Steele Memorial Centre on 155 Airport Boulevard, where the Canadian Red Cross will be registering people.
Jess said she and her family were able to meet up but by Monday morning she was feeling "mixed emotions."
"It has definitely been a very interesting 24 hours. But you know, I've got a great support system," said Jess.
The community is coming together to support one another while the fire continues to burn, she said.
This article, written by Elizabeth Whitten, was originally published for CBC News