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ST. JOHN’S, NL –
Crews are building fire lines and using industrial sprinklers to protect the central town of Labrador from wildfires, although a fleet of water bombers was temporarily grounded by a thunderstorm on Monday.
Newfoundland and Labrador forest fire duty officer Mark Lawlor says most of the firefighting focus in the area is on two fires burning west of Churchill Falls, one 17 kilometers and the other seven kilometers from the town
Lawlor says the fires in both areas are still smoldering and trees are still bursting into flames, but rain is in the forecast for Wednesday.
He says the fire closest to Churchill Falls advanced about half a kilometer on Monday, but not in the direction of the community, which is home to a huge hydroelectric plant that serves Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec.
He says more than 60 industrial sprinklers have been set up along one side of the town to protect them if the fire jumps across the Churchill River, which is between the flames and the community.
Lawlor says Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro has also made progress in removing trees and brush to create a fire line on the west side of town.
“Today is good. Our fire behavior analyst has reduced his prediction on fire behavior, we expect to see less fire behavior there today,” Lawlor said on Monday about the weather.
“Tomorrow, we could see some increased fire behavior, given the higher temperatures and higher winds.”
The rain forecast for Wednesday, if it comes, “will certainly be a big help,” he added.
Water bombers had to stand down Monday because of a passing thunderstorm, and they flew back east to Happy Valley-Goose Bay to wait out the weather, Lawlor said. However, helicopters were able to quickly resume dumping water on the fires after the storm passed.
About 750 residents and workers were evacuated from Churchill Falls last week due to the nearby wildfire. Officials have not yet said when they could return home.
The province’s wildfire dashboard on Monday afternoon showed nine wildfires burning in Labrador and one on the island of Newfoundland. Seven were out of control, including the fire closest to Churchill Falls. Two – one in Labrador and one in Newfoundland – were under control, and the remaining fire, which was about 17 kilometers from Churchill Falls, was “contained,” meaning it is no longer spreading.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on June 24, 2024.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/water-bombers-dousing-labrador-fires-halted-by-thunderstorms-but-rain-is-coming-1.6939533
