Wet weather is helping to dampen down the forest fire burning near Labrador City, but a provincial fire duty officer warns the blaze still is very active.
George Gibbons says the fire, about 14,000 hectares in size, isn’t moving at this time.
Today’s forecast calls for about 20 mm to fall on the area, giving fire crews a bit of a reprieve.
Currently it is raining hard here in #Labrador West #nlwx pic.twitter.com/XihhOtWV9i
— Jordan Brown (@JordanLabCity) July 15, 2024
Gibbons says that allows them time to make some on-the-ground plans and potentially establish some fire breaks.
That said, Gibbons notes that the fire is still very hot and active, and they will need a lot more from Mother Nature to help knock it down.
To get the fire under control and fully contained he estimates they will need 50 mm of rain. He says today’s rain will dampen the area down, but the fire has burned deep into the ground and a few days of hot weather will bring flame to the surface.
Volunteers unload large shipment of #CanadianRedCross supplies in 30 minutes at @Town_HVGB for evacuees from #LabradorCity pic.twitter.com/zwlqKQRMcY
— Perry Trimper (@PerryTrimper) July 15, 2024
Some 10,000 residents have been evacuated with Happy Valley-Goose Bay, some six hours away, being the main shelter zone.
The hospital in Lab City is closed and residents of the twin town of Wabush are on evacuation alert with a temporary medical clinic being established.
Labrador West MHA Jordan Brown says Happy Valley-Goose Bay has doubled in size as the town opens its doors to their neighbours from the west.
Brown says they are so grateful for the help they have been getting—so very many have stepped up including Mayor George Andrews and his council, MHA Perry Trimper, Hydro in Churchill Falls. He says it’s great to see in such short notice—and for the second time this summer.
Happy Valley-Goose Bay Mayor George Andrews says about 4,000 evacuees have registered with their Emergency Operations Centre thus far. Their emergency plan is multi-faceted.
In this case, the province helped out by providing 600 beds from Muskrat Falls; the ministerial association kicks in with food, shelter, transportation and other essentials, says Mayor Andrews. 5-Wing Goose Bay steps up to provide facilities and, because of the size and scope of the venture, the Red Cross becomes involved.