A forest fire that burned eight to ten hectares in Fermeuse on the Southern Shore was tackled by a water bomber Thursday evening.

Fermeuse mayor Jerome Kenny says although the fire was burning close to the windmills, funeral home, and cabins in the community, the wind was blowing the opposite direction.

The fire was initially spotted by berry pickers in the area.

Provincial fire duty officer, Boyd Pittman says they received the call at around 3 p.m., and they sent crews to assess and tackle the blaze.

Mayor Kenny says residents remained calm, and the cleared the road to the windmills as a precaution.

He says it appeared that the fire was close to the old railroad track and away from the cabins. Within a few hours, the water bombers had the forest fire under control. The local fire department had crews on scene in the case they were needed.

Monitoring of the area continues Friday morning.