New wildfire spreading rapidly on outskirts of Moncton
Firefighters from Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview battled a wildfire north of Moncton on Sunday.
The rural New Brunswick community of Maple Hills, about 20 kilometres northwest of Moncton, posted on its Facebook page that it is asking some residents to "take immediate steps to prepare for a possible evacuation."
As of 10 p.m. local time, no evacuation order had been given, but the community was urging people to have personal belongings and pets ready to go.
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The areas most at risk, according to a map posted by the community, are those between Cape Breton Road to the north, Weisner Road to the east, Elmwood Drive to the west and Roma Way to the south.
Mayor Erica Warren said in a Facebook post at about 10 p.m. that the fire remains out of control "but not travelling in the immediate direction of residences" at that time.
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In an earlier email to CBC News, the mayor said she's hopeful an evacuation won't be required, but she asked residents to be prepared over the coming days.
Maple Hills posted on its Facebook page that an emergency alert would be issued if an evacuation is necessary.
The Municipality of Maple Hills posted a map on Facebook to alert residents in the area to be prepared for any evacuation orders. The map displays an area with the following boundaries: Cape Breton Road to the north, Weisner Road to the east, Elmwood Drive to the west and Roma Way to the south. (Maple Hills NB/CBC)
Warren said the province's Department of Natural Resources has told the community that trenches are being dug to use as a fire break to reduce its spread.
She thanked first responders and the province. "Things could be a whole lot worse had they not responded as quickly and effectively as they did," the mayor wrote.
The fire near MacArthur Lane spanned 30 hectares, according to the province's wildfire website.
Aircraft and a helicopter could be seen circling a cloud of smoke rising from the area on Sunday afternoon as people gathered on nearby roadsides to watch.
An aircraft operates near the fire in Maple Hills on Sunday afternoon. (Shane Magee/CBC)
The Moncton Firefighters Association asked people to stay away from the area.
"Please avoid the area to allow safe access for emergency vehicles and water shuttle operations," the association posted on Facebook.
Renelle Lanteigne, who lives on Cape Breton Road in the Municipality of Maple Hills, said she was camping at her trailer in Shediac but returned home to prepare in case her family needs to evacuate.
"We have many people with farms here with horses and all kind of farms, and people are kind of starting to freak out because they don't know if they have to evacuate their horses and cows and all that," she said.
Boil-water order
The City of Moncton issued a boil-water order on Sunday for residents and businesses along Elmwood Drive, north of the Trans-Canada Highway.
The city says high water flow related to fighting the nearby fire has led to high turbidity levels. Turbidity is cloudiness or haziness resulting from particles in the water.
The order affects locations on Granite Drive, the Royal Oaks subdivision and civic addresses starting at 759 Elmwood Dr. and above.
The city's Facebook post about the order says water used for preparing food, drinking, brushing teeth or infant formula should be boiled for at least one minute. It remains safe to use for bathing and showering.
The city has also said that Irishtown Nature Park will be closed until further notice due to the wildfire.
Oldfield Road fire
Near Miramichi, three homes and a cottage are under an evacuation order, and another 15 homes are under an alert due to the wildfire burning on Oldfield Road.
New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Nick Brown said in an email that no one was home at the four properties when the evacuation order was issued. No further updates were available Sunday night.
The province's fire data dashboard says the Oldfield Road fire now spans 340 hectares.
Brown said it is difficult to measure the exact size of the fire as smoke has led to reduced visibility. The fire was first detected on Wednesday.
"It did jump Highway 8 and burned about 20 hectares," Brown said on Sunday.
Natural Resources Minister John Herron describes the fire near Miramichi to be out of control. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
The section of Highway 8 between Route 450 and Oldfield Road remains closed.
Miramichi Mayor Adam Lordon said the last update he received on the fire, at about 1 p.m., showed it was "moving in the opposite direction of the city."
"Thankfully it's not in an area close to any communities," he said.
Lordon said firefighters were patrolling the river to make sure no boaters were in the way of the water bombers as they swooped down to refill. He said the city's Lord Beaverbrook Arena is offering a place for firefighters to stay, in partnership with the Red Cross.
New Brunswick Natural Resources Minister John Herron said at a news conference on Saturday that the fire was "beyond control."
He said fire conditions are so extreme that "under the current environment, it doesn't matter what we throw at it."
A fire in York County, near Canterbury, spans about five hectares. (New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources)
The Oldfield Road fire is one of 12 burning in the province, according to the fire data dashboard. A fire near Canterbury in York County was brought under control Sunday afternoon.
On Sunday morning, Brown said it spanned about five hectares with 40 firefighters on scene.
The dashboard says nine of the fires are now being patrolled. According to Brown, that is the final step before a fire is considered extinguished.
The New Brunswick government has banned access to all Crown land, restricting fishing, camping, hiking, driving into the woods or using the trail systems.
Camping is only allowed on campgrounds, and the government has requested that private landowners also comply with the restrictions.
"Going back to data as far back as 1986, we have not had a drying situation as severe as we have today," Herron said at Saturday's announcement. "This is a serious situation."
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This article, written by Rhythm Rathi, was originally published for CBC News. With files from Vanessa Blanch, Victoria Walton and Shane Magee
Thumbnail image courtesy: Shane Magee/CBC