Crews in Churchill Falls have a “cautiously optimistic day” to battle the wildfire that is just kilometers from the town.

That’s according to Premier Andrew Furey, who gave a live update on the situation earlier today.

He says while the fire raged and moved rapidly yesterday after it crossed the Churchill River, conditions are much better today and the fire is between category 2 and 3 status.

The blaze is about 3 km from the town, but wind direction and temperatures are in the crews’ favour. Rain, though they don’t know just how much, is in the forecast too.

The fire did reach the Churchill Falls airport yesterday, but Furey says surveillance hasn’t picked up any damage to the buildings.

He states that the flames were “very, very close” but they somehow jumped the airstrip and the buildings. A flyover earlier today did not show any damage. Furey believes the jump demonstrates the power of the fire.