Evacuation order issued for parts of Paradise, while Southlands, Galway on alert
Latest updates:
Evacuation order in place for Three Island Pond area of Paradise. Evacuees are advised to travel north to Topsail Road. Anyone needing accommodations should travel to Admiral's Academy in Kelligrews. Regional state of emergency issued for parts of Conception Bay South, St. John's, and Conception Bay North. Out-of-control fire continues to burn near Paddy's Pond industrial area. Southlands and Galway neighbourhoods of St. John's added to evacuation alert. Portions of Mount Pearl, Paradise, C.B.S. also on evacuation alert. Evacuation order in place for industrial area near Paddy's Pond. Kingston fire, Martin Lake, Udjuktok Bay and Travespine fire also out-of-control. Holyrood fire is under control.
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An evacuation order has been issued for the Three Island Pond area in Paradise late Tuesday afternoon.
Evacuees are asked to evacuate immediately, and travel north to Topsail Road.
Anyone needing accommodations should go to the reception centre and emergency shelter at Admiral's Academy, located at 835 Conception Bay Hwy in Kelligrews.
The evacuation order comes just hours after the provincial government issued a regional state of emergency Tuesday afternoon for parts of St. John's, Paradise, and Conception Bay South as the Paddy's Pond wildfire continued to burn out of control.
The evacuation alert also expanded to include the Southlands and Galway neighbourhoods of St. John's. Yesterday parts of Paradise and Conception Bay South were put on an evacuation alert.
The update comes as crews continue to battle an out-of-control wildfire that broke out just outside of St. John's near Paddy's Pond.
Police investigate Paddy's Pond fire
Premier John Hogan said the fire is now under police investigation.
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary spokesperson Const. James Cadigan said there was a vehicle driving along the pole line where the fire started on Monday. He said the vehicle left the area just before the fire was reported.
Cadigan said a female travelling in a dark SUV that left Paddy's Pond and headed east on the Trans-Canada Highway may have information to support the investigation.
Police are looking for video footage between 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. N.T. in the area of Peacekeepers Way and the Trans-Canada Highway near Paddy's Pond.
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'It's going to be a troublesome day'
Meanwhile, Hogan said one of Newfoundland and Labrador's water bombers ran into maintenance issues fighting the fires. He said more assets are on the way, including two Black Hawk helicopters from Utah which can operate at night.
Provincial fire duty officer Mark Lawlor also warned that it won't be an easy job to put out the fires due to the dry weather conditions.
On Monday, the out-of-control Paddy's Pond wildfire quickly grew to 200 hectares in a few hours.
"We're doing everything we can to limit the movement of this fire, hopefully contain it," Lawlor told CBC's St. John's Morning Show.
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"Overnight there was no growth in the fire, thankfully. However, this morning there's still active fire on it already," Lawlor said.
Given the current forecast, which is dry with no rain expected, Lawlor said they are anticipating "extreme fire behaviour" on Tuesday.
"It's going to be a troublesome day," said Lawlor.
He also advised people if they're under an alert, to be ready to leave if necessary. Lawlor also asked people to stay away from the fire because they need access to stay clear and they don't want people to get in the way.
Volunteer firefighters to be compensated
Since May, volunteer firefighters have battled several brush and wildfires, including two major wildfires in Conception Bay North.
As the latest Kingston wildfire continues to grow more than a week after its ignition, Hogan said volunteer firefighters will be compensated.
"We have to recognize the volunteer firefighters who possess the necessary training to aid in this wildfire relief," he said.
Hogan said compensation for volunteer firefighters in Newfoundland and Labrador is not the norm, but this wildfire season is not normal.
"The situation we face today is completely different than any situation that we faced in years, and probably not what they thought they were signing up for, but they're certainly not shying away from the challenge," he said.
The provincial government will provide more information on the compensation packages in the coming days.
According to the provincial wildfire dashboard, there are eight fires currently burning across the province, with five burning out of control.
Thousands of people have been forced to flee their communities, and many others are waiting to see if they will need to leave quickly due to the wildfires.
Hogan said the Kingston fire is still out of control, and the fire is now in Ochre Pit Cove and Western Bay. He anticipates structures have been lost.
"We anticipate, based on what we can see at this moment, that there is significant loss in both of these communities," he said.
Lawlor said work on the fire guard on its southern end will continue on Tuesday, and they are planning a second fire guard on its northern end.
Kingston fire grows
Around noon on Tuesday, the town of Small Point-Adam's Cove-Blackhead-Broad Cove announced on social media the Kingston fire had grown to 6,370 hectares.
"As predicted, yesterday was a very challenging day for firefighting. Weather conditions are similar for today, so the message remains the same," said the statement.
It added the Paddy's Pond fire required some of the firefighting resources being used at the Kingston fire, and "while this is difficult to hear," the town urged residents to trust the decision.
Lawlor said the Holyrood fire is considered under control and while there were a couple of hot spots on Monday, crews "jumped" on it.
The Martin Lake fire is also still out of control and there was some growth on its northeast corner and southwest corner on Monday
"We had extremely high winds, high temperatures and low relative humidities which led to some growth," said Lawlor.
But he said there is good news, as the water bombers and helicopters worked well and were able to minimize the growth.
However, the bulldozer and excavator working on the fire guard had to be pulled from the site because of safety concerns. Lawlor said crews will be back on Tuesday and they are trying to keep the Bay d'Espoir Highway open.
There are also two wildfires burning in Labrador, the Udjuktok Bay fire and Travespine fire.
Lawlor said the Udjuktok Bay fire is being monitored because it's not close to any major assets.
He said there was progress on the Traverspine fire, located 19 kilometres south of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, on Monday.
Environment Canada has issued two weather alerts for the province, an air quality statement is in effect for the northern Avalon Peninsula and St. John's area, as well as a heat warning for most of the province.
As of Tuesday morning, the provincial fire hazard map lists most of the island of Newfoundland at an extreme risk of fire. Parts of Labrador range from a moderate risk to extreme.
A province-wide fire ban is in effect until September.
CBC meteorologist Ashley Brauweiler said the forecast for the next few days is more hot, dry weather with relatively low humidity, which she said can lead to extreme fire behaviour.
"That's been the recipe that we've been seeing, really, for what, two weeks now? There's really no relief in the forecast," Brauweiler said.
She added the rainfall previously forecasted for Thursday is not looking likely.
"Obviously every little bit helps, but at this point it looks like the better chance of showers may be as we get into Friday."
Brauweiler said because of the winds, people can expect varying levels of smoke across the St. John's area.
'Anxious times'
C.B.S. resident David Coates said he and his wife are ready to leave if the order is given but he's hopeful the fire won't reach structures in Paradise or his community.
"It's anxious times for sure," he told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show.
If they need to leave, Coates said they will go to a sister's home in St. John's.
Some items to include in your emergency grab-and-go kit. (The Weather Network/Canva)
Coates is an artist and said most of his artwork will stay in his home because he doesn't have the capability to move the paintings on short notice.
While Coates would hate to lose his paintings, he's keeping it in perspective.
"We've got other memories and items that we certainly can't take with us that we'd hate to lose. But at the end of the day, I can rebuild and I can paint again."
Safety is priority: Canada Summer Games
In response to the nearby wildfires, the ongoing Canada Summer Games is moving some sporting events scheduled for Tuesday out of Paradise and C.B.S. to St. John's. Beach volleyball and sailing are postponed.
2025 Canada Games Host Society CEO Karen Sherriffs said they are monitoring the situation and working with various authorities, like the municipalities and the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre.
"The safety of athletes, coaches, participants, and volunteers is our top priority," she said in a statement on Monday evening.
Mount Pearl announced it was keeping all of its indoor recreation facilities closed due to air quality concerns, with an update coming later in the morning.
The town of C.B.S. is also keeping its indoor and outdoor recreation facilities in an effort to reduce unnecessary travel and keep roads clear for emergency crews.
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This article, written by Jenna Head, was originally published for CBC News. Story contains files from The St. John's Morning Show. Header image courtesy of Ryan Cooke/via CBC News