LABRADOR CITY, N.L. — Firefighters began attacking a fire near Labrador City from the ground Thursday, marking a new stage in the effort to get the roaring wildfire under control.
Crews have been dousing the flames from above using water bombers and helicopters, but Jeff Motty, the province's forest fire duty officer, said adding a ground attack is an important step forward in the battle against any forest fire.
"Once it's safe for us to put firefighters on the ground, that's how a fire actually gets put out," he said in an interview. "It's the boots on the ground that ultimately put the fires out."
Labrador City is home to more than 7,000 people and they were ordered to evacuate last week after a sudden shift in conditions sent the once-smouldering fire roaring back to life and moving quickly toward the town.
The community was the second in the region to be evacuated because of wildfires in as many months. Residents of Churchill Falls, in central Labrador, had to leave their homes behind on June 19. They were allowed to return two weeks later.
The fire that had threatened Churchill Falls was declared to be officially extinguished on Thursday, Motty said.
About 20 firefighters from New Brunswick were on the ground Thursday morning to flood hot spots in western Labrador near Labrador City, Motty said. He expected they would soon be joined by colleagues from Newfoundland and Labrador, who arrived in the area on Wednesday night.
Ground crews must be helicoptered into the area, and firefighters spent considerable time on Wednesday clearing out landing spots, he said.
The size of the fire was holding steady at about 131 square kilometres, and it remained roughly six kilometres from the town, Motty said.
Meanwhile, the provincial forestry department urged people not to fly drones into the area of the fire because they can interfere with water bombers and helicopters.
"Water bombers play a critical role in controlling and extinguishing forest fires, and their pilots need to operate in a clear and unobstructed airspace," the department said in a news release. "Unauthorized drone activity can interfere with these operations, potentially causing delays in firefighting efforts and putting the lives of firefighters and pilots at risk."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2024.
The Canadian Press
