Fire near Churchill Falls still active Friday evening, but not moving closer to town

A forest fire duty officer in Newfoundland and Labrador says the wildfire within seven kilometres of Churchill Falls is still seeing some fire activity but that it isn't approaching town.

The company town of around 750 people, which houses a massive hydroelectric plant that provides power to the province andneighbouring Quebec,was evacuated on Wednesdaynight as a pair of fires made large gains nearby.

As of Friday, the firehad not jumped the Churchill River, which stands between the town and the danger zone.

"They're seeing some open flame, a lot of smoke getting kicked up. So that one, that fire, is still quite active," Duty Officer Mark Lawlor told CBC Radio just after 5 p.m. NT Friday.

"The activity on that fire is on the northwest side. Thankfully, not adjacent to the community of Churchill Falls. That edge close to Churchill Falls is fairly quiet."

Lawlor said crews are confident they can keep the fire under control with rain in the forecast but warned that there's always a layer of unpredictability.

'in good shape,' says Hydro CEO

Speaking with media on Friday, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro CEO Jennifer Williams said the lack of growth from the fire has brought optimism that the province's response to fighting the fires are working.

"With regards to how we are feeling about the fires today versus yesterday, I think we're feeling even better today," Hydro CEO Jennifer Williams told reporters on Friday afternoon.

"The extra resources, supplementing the ones that were already doing a really good job, I think is putting us in good shape."

A crew of about 40 people, including workers at the Churchill Falls hydroelectric plant, police and firefighters,stayed behind in the community followingtheevacuation order to keep the plant running.

The plant, whichsupplies the province andaccounts forabout 15 per cent of Quebec's power, remains operating at status quo with no transmission issues so far, Williams said. The on-site crew is in good spirits, she said, but is making sure to plan for the days ahead.

"At some point [for] those folks, we should think about switching them out. So we're turning our attention to when that should be," Williams said. "We want to make sure we're responsive to the needs of the people that are on site."

Water bombers, sprinklers helping suppress fire

Two more water bombers were on the way from Ontario, expected to arrive on Friday. That brings the total arsenal to eight, including four from N.L. and two from Quebec. Lawlor said the bombers from Ontario will tackle the fire closest to Churchill Falls on Friday night.

Forestry officials havealso brought in sprinklers to help suppress fire around the town's facilities and protect property.

Asked about a potential timeline for when people could return to Churchill Falls, Williams said it's still too early to know.

"We want to make sure that they're safe now and they can return to somewhere safe," she said.

According to the province's online wildfire dashboard, there are now 10 active fires burning in the province, up four from Thursday and down from 11 on Friday afternoon.

There are four new firesin Labrador at Atikonak Lake, Joseph Lake, Milner Lake West No. 2 and Tom Luscombe Brookall listed as burning out of control.

A fire on Newfoundland's west coast, at South Branch, along with a fire near Labrador's Menihek Dam,arelisted as being held.

WATCH | Here's how crews are keeping the fire from crossing the river:

Churchill Falls wildfire hasn't crossed river thanks to 'tremendous effort,' utility says

3 months ago

Duration 5:28

Fire suppression efforts have kept the wildfire near Churchill Falls, N.L., to the south banks of the river for the time being, says Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. The utility says crews are deploying sprinklers to protect homes and businesses.

Lawlor said the new fires have put a strain on available resources, which is why the province imposed a fire ban on much of the province.

There's another fire 17 kilometres away from Churchill Falls, along the Trans-Labrador Highway.One of themain objectives is to keep that fire contained so they cankeep the highway open, which Lawlor saidhas been successful so far.

Help still available

When the evacuationorder came on Wednesday evening, several hundred people headed to Happy Valley-Goose Bay where they registered at the YMCA.

The emergency operations centre closed on Thursday evening after evacuees were able to find lodgings elsewhere, said fire Chief Brad Butler.

However,their work helping those in need isn't over.

"We're continuously assisting," Butlertold CBC News. "I had a phone call from a provincial department last night for getting lodgings today for another family, which we're going to work on this morning."

With theemergency operations centre closed, people can call the 24-hour complaint line 709-896-3322 for assistance, he said.

Butlerhopes the people from Churchill Falls will be able to return as soon as possible.

• Have you been affected by the evacuations in Churchill Falls?Cross Country Checkup is asking: When your city was faced with a crisis, what acts of kindness have you received or given? Fill outthis formand you could have your comment read on the show.

Convoy headed west

While hundreds of people headed east toward Happy Valley-Goose Bay for safety Wednesday, a small number of people went west.

Marlene Thompson, who was ina small group who headed for Labrador West, saidshe has family in the area and was told it was safe to go in that direction.

"We're still trying to digest it. We don't really know what to expect at this point," she said.

There were police officers checking in on evacuees arriving in Labrador West as well, she said.

Thompson was at dinner with friends when the news arrived the town was being evacuated. They rushed home.

"That's when I started throwing things into a suitcase. Just random things here and there," she said.

She isn't sure if her clothes match or are for the summer, she added.

"But I tried my best to take all of our life and throw it in a bag," she said. "It was harder than I thought it would be. But we managed to get it done, packed and on the road in like probably 30 minutes."

Shane Ivany packed up his camper and travelled to Labrador City with his two children, two dogs and wife who is seven months pregnant.

A former firefighter, he saidit's been a different experience to watch from the sidelines.

"I was actually talking to the deputy chief there in Churchill yesterday, and he said 'You wish you were here, don't you?' And I said, 'Yeah, I kind of do.' Cause it's in my blood, right? And firefighting is huge to me. And I know how hard it is and how extreme it can be," he said.

"We're just waiting to get home. That's the hardest part."

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