A wildfire that forced residents of Small Point-Adam’s Cove-Blackhead-Broad Cove in Conception Bay North to flee their community has now been deemed as put out, says the community’s fire chief.
Roger Gillingham, chief of the North Shore Volunteer Fire Department, told Radio-Canada that favourable weather conditions allowed several dozen firefighters to control the fire.
“Right now the only fire that we see are some instances of hot spots from some of the structures that were destroyed in the fire. And there are still some very small fires that are on the outer edges of the fire,” Gillingham said at around 3 p.m. NT on Thursday. “But for the most part, the fire is certainly under control now.”
Multiple water bombers and the use of nine pump trucks also helped quell the fire.
The fire prompted the town to declare a state of emergency Wednesday night, and residents of Adam’s Cove north of Cave Lane, those north of Black Head Brook and those in the area south of River Loop Road in Western Bay have been told to evacuate.
Prior to declaring the fire was out, the provincial government said more than 20 structures, including homes and a warehouse housing recreational vehicles, had been affected by the fire, which the government said was 600 hectares in size.
“In some cases, it’s very difficult to actually determine if there was one or two structures in a certain place. It was like an inferno that passed through,” Gillingham said.
He said early estimates that at least 12 homes had been destroyed is likely close to the actual number, but it could also be larger.
The province also said the ambulance base in the Adam’s Cove region has been evacuated as a precaution. Ambulances have been relocated north to Old Perlican, the update said.
Gillingham says it’s too early to know when people might be able to return to their homes. The next steps involve working with Newfoundland Power to assess damage and to get the electricity back on safely, he said.
Adam’s Cove resident Pauline White told CBC News the situation on Wednesday was frantic.
She and a friend attempted to get to her sister’s home in the early hours of the evacuation, but quickly found the route impassable.
“We quickly became engulfed in flames and smoke. The dog was going crazy and it was like, ‘no, we can’t make it. We’ve got to back out,'” White said
White reversed, but found another impassable road.
Unable to drive the truck to safety, she says she and her friend got on their ATVs raced down a trail behind Adam’s Cove.
“So we basically drove through fire,” she said.
Arriving at her sister’s home, they found fire everywhere. Everyone got out safely.
White says she’s since been back to her own home, and while it’s still standing there are scorch marks around her house and garage.
“It is Armageddon,” said White.
The scene in the community reminds her of the 2016 fire in Fort McMurray, which her brother and his family experienced.
For now, White is staying with a friend, and at least three of her cats are alright but she hasn’t seen two others. She says she’s frustrated because of unreliable cell service in the area.
“As a matter of fact, I still can’t call my family and let them know we’re OK and that the house is still fine,” she said.
Meanwhile, the town’s mayor says he doesn’t know the full extent of the damage.
“There’s a lot of anxiety, a lot of uncertainty right now. And we don’t even know exactly which homes have been lost. We know general areas,” Mayor Curtis Delaney said.
He says there’s been no report of injuries, and a lot of the fire was contained overnight. There’s still a number of active areas where firefighters are hoping to knock down on Thursday.
“As things get cleaned up and hotspots within the community itself are put out, you know, we’ll have a better idea of exactly the damage that’s done,” he said.
He says some evacuees have gone to stay with family and friends, but the town is also using the local community centre and a school as evacuation centres.
“I’ve had a number of people even this morning now, wondering now, ‘Do I have a house? Is my house still standing,'” he said.
The community has a population of around 400 but he says there are also seasonal residents.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the damage that a fire can do in such a short period of time.”
He says it’s not safe for residents to return and told people to get information from the town’s Facebook page.
Delaney says every year they’re dealing with drier conditions and a greater chance of fires.
“All it takes is a spark and it could be my home just as well as anyone else’s. It really hits home when it’s your area and people that you know,” he said.
Frank Reynolds, a town councillor, says the last day has been devastating for the community, but everyone came together to help one another.
“Everyone’s affected. I don’t know what’s lost, I can’t answer that, but it’s a devastating time in this community,” said Reynolds.
Reynolds says the water bombers saved Blackhead and the surrounding area.
Sue Rose, who is also a town councillor, says it was a difficult night, and while a few families have lost their homes, everyone is safe.
“The firefighters came from all over and the RCMP were just fantastic. They took control and made sure everyone was not entering Adam’s Cove,” said Rose.
Gerry Rogers says the water bombers hadn’t been able to fly due to the fog earlier in the day, but they were eventually able to get into the air.
“I think this is a direct result of climate change,” she said.
According to the province’s active wildfire dashboard, the fire at Adam’s Cove is 15 hectares. Another fire burning at Harding’s Pond in Holyrood is one hectare. Both are burning out of control.
But CBC meteorologist Ashley Brauweiler says there is some good news in the day’s forecast.
“Today’s relative humidity is quite high compared to yesterday, and showers are expected this afternoon and evening,” she said. “The winds shift northeasterly tomorrow between 20-30 km/h with a big drop in temperatures, which should help — along with the chance of showers again tomorrow.”
The province said conditions are favourable to help suppress the fire on Thursday.
Environment Canada has issued a special air quality statement for the northern Avalon Peninsula, because of the fires.
“Reduced air quality can be expected along the path of the plumes,” reads the statement. “Winds today and tonight will be predominately from the southwest, which should move the majority of the smoke out to sea.”
There are also fires in Fermeuse and Joe’s Lake, northwest of Badger, that are under control.
The RCMP has closed route 70 between Adam’s Cove and Western Bay and police are asking people to head south toward Victoria or north toward Lower Island Cove.
Cabot Academy in Western Bay and Persalvic School Complex in Victoria are also closed.
There is also a power outage in the areas around Kingston and Ochre Pit Cove, affecting approximately 230 customers. Newfoundland Power took the power offline on Wednesday.
There are evacuation centres at Persalvic Elementary School in Victoria, the AYLA building on Crutches Road in Lower Island Cove and the Salem Community Centre in Small Point.
Janessa Wheeler, a volunteer at the AYLA building, says last night around 10 people came to the centre, as well as pets like budgie birds, cats and dogs.
She says the residents are in shock and don’t know if they have homes to go back to.
“It’s devastating and it’s sad,” said Wheeler.
There were many people dropping by to help with food and other donations like toiletries, she says, and local restaurants donated food for breakfast.
“It warms my heart to know that there’s people out there willing to do this. You don’t know what to expect. You don’t know when to expect anything coming.”
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