Residents of Badger are waking up in a different town this morning after being forced from their homes yesterday due to a wildfire on the outskirts of the community.
The fire was sparked during a lightning storm on Tuesday and began to grow in size due to unfavourable weather conditions.
Government made the call to evacuate the community over the lunch hour yesterday, with Premier John Hogan saying it was better to be safe than sorry.
(Grand Falls-Windsor Fire Chief/Facebook)
Fire crews have been working around-the-clock on the ground, with water bombers and helicopters deployed to help douse the blaze.
Environment Canada meteorologist Angelie Maynard says while it wasn’t much, Mother Nature did chip in with some rain overnight. Conditions today will be mainly cloudy with light winds.
(Grand Falls-Windsor Fire Chief/Facebook)
She says temperatures in Badger will be in the mid-twenties throughout the day with overnight lows in the teens. Another band of precipitation will move in overnight with rainfall amounting up to 5 mm.
Mayor Dennis Butt says the air quality has improved this morning and the fire has not crossed the Exploits River.
He says there has been no damage to any property as the fire has remained on the east side of the river.
(Grand Falls-Windsor Fire Chief/Facebook)
575 residents have registered with the Canadian Red Cross at the Joe Byrne Memorial Stadium in Grand Falls-Windsor. Anyone who has yet to do so is asked to register in person or by phone at 709-729-0921.
Jones Street is closed until further notice to allow easy access to the arena.
