Evacuation advisory issued as wildfires burn across New Brunswick
Residents of Lavillette, about 20 kilometres northwest of Esgenoôpetitj First Nation, are being told to be ready to leave their homes on short notice. The New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization issued the advisory Friday night, warning that a nearby fire could put people and property at risk.
If an evacuation is needed, residents will get an Alert Ready notice on their phones, TVs, or radios.
At 8 p.m., the fire near Lavillette was about one-tenth of a hectare in size and considered out of control. By 9:15 p.m., it had grown to eight hectares but was listed as contained.
As of Friday night, there were 29 active wildfires burning across New Brunswick, up from 23 earlier in the day.
The largest fire remains the Oldfield Road wildfire near Miramichi. Now in its tenth day, it has grown to 1,402 hectares and is still out of control.
Natural Resources Minister John Herron said lightning strikes caused several of the new fires and could spark more in the coming weeks. He explained that lightning can smolder underground and start a fire days, or even weeks, later.
By 9 p.m. Friday, five fires were listed as out of control — fewer than the nine reported earlier in the day. A new fire broke out Friday evening in Newtown, northeast of Sussex, and was 1.5 hectares in size by nightfall. Another fire, the Chief’s fire, doubled in size to 50 hectares. The Irishtown fire, at 45 hectares, remains contained.
To help fight the flames, 40 additional firefighters from Ontario will arrive Saturday. However, 20 Nova Scotia firefighters who had been helping in New Brunswick will return home to fight fires there. The province also confirmed it has secured three more water bombers.
Currently, 143 firefighters are working across New Brunswick — down from 186 the night before.
The province has been facing hot, dry weather for two weeks. A weak cold front brought slightly cooler conditions Thursday, with temperatures topping 30.7 C in Moncton and 27.4 C in Miramichi. Some areas also saw brief rain.
This weekend, temperatures are expected to stay in the low to mid-20s, with a chance of showers on Sunday.
An Environment Canada air quality advisory remains in effect for the Miramichi area and parts of southeast New Brunswick because of wildfire smoke.
