Thousands Evacuated as Wildfire Rage in Labrador City

Thousands have been evacuated as wildfire blazes in Labrador city. Residents of the towns of Labrador City and Wabush in Newfoundland were asked to leave their homes.

“We are seeing extreme fire behavior out there”, said Provincial Fire Duty Officer Jeff Motty. “The fire is moving about 50 meters per minute.”

However, in an update on Sunday, Premier Andrew Furey said weather conditions are favorable to put out the fire. “We have some good news today. There is no significant growth in the size of the fire that is just northwest of Lab City.”

The fire has reportedly burned 24, 000 acres and forced thousands to evacuate the city. Light rain, lower temperature and humidity, as well as the wind has kept the fire away from the town and onto itself, limiting its fuel source.

“The winds have changed to a northeasterly pattern which will blow the fire back on itself and limit it fuel source, which is all very good news”, said Furey.

Four water bombers have been deployed to fight the blaze on the eastern front and six to eight others are fighting it on the western side from Quebec.

Furey said despite the progress, it is still unclear when the thousands of city residents, who were asked to leave their homes on Friday, would be allowed to return. Residents were asked to evacuate to the Town of Happy Valley- Goose Bay, a six-hour drive away.

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