Officials are fighting fire with fire to try to prevent the conflagration in Conception Bay North from spreading south toward Victoria and Carbonear.
Thousands of residents from Salmon Cove to Gull Island on the Conception Bay North Shore have been evacuated from their homes as the out-of-control fire grew overnight.
The entire Bay de Verde Peninsula from Bristol’s Hope northward is in a State of Emergency.
Fire Duty Officer Mark Lawlor says the Canadian Coast Guard has joined the firefighting effort with helicopters joining provincial firefighting efforts.
A fire break has been cut on the fire’s southern boundary near Perry’s Cove, and they’re fighting fire with fire in the area, burning away brush to prevent the fire from spreading southwards.
“We have what we call an ignition specialist, and that person picked out an area that could be safely burnt-off, and yesterday we successfully conducted that burn.”
Lawlor says the Coast Guard is helping to shuttle crews in and out of the region, and helping to assess the size of the fire.
The Holyrood fire is considered held at this time, while crews are back on the Martin Lake fire off the Bay d’Espoir Highway in Central Newfoundland.
There are currently two fires burning in Labrador. One is about 40 km southwest of Hopedale, but is not an imminent threat to the community. The other is 19 km southwest of Goose Bay, and fire crews are back on the scene battling that blaze.
An intentional fire started at the old Highway Depot in Hampden during a province-wide fire ban (Town of Hampden/Facebook)
The provincial government is signaling that it’s serious about preventing new fires as huge parts of the province are experiencing a drought.
Fines for fires started during the current province-wide fire ban are set at a minimum of $50,000, or jail time of between six months to a year in the event of a conviction.
Lawyer with Budden Hiscock Lawyers, Harry Mugford says the response was necessary given the current State of Emergency on the Bay de Verde Peninsula.
Mugford says previous fines for violating the fire ban ranged from $75 to $1,000, something many felt was woefully inadequate given the circumstances. He says the fine has to reflect the severity of the current situation.
“We have heard this past week of some very disturbing facts with respect to the status of wildfires. Close to 3,000 people are being displaced. The fire suppression efforts by the province have been substantial, they have increased their air supply and the ground inventory, I think it was necessary to revisit (the fines) in light of the critical situation we’re faced with, I think that the higher sanctions were probably necessary”
