Newfoundland and Labrador | Town of Churchill Falls evacuated due to wildfire

(St. John’s) The town of Churchill Falls in central Labrador was evacuated Wednesday evening due to an out-of-control wildfire.

Local authorities issued an alert asking all city residents to leave by 8:15 p.m. local time due to “changing conditions” over a fire raging near the community.

The notice asked residents to head east to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, which is a three-hour drive.

“I am in contact with those responsible and we will be there to help you in any way possible,” assured the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Andrew Furey, in a post on social networks.

People arriving in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador’s largest community, were advised to check in at the YMCA.

Churchill Falls has a population of approximately 700 and is located along the Trans-Labrador Highway, which passes through Labrador’s vast forested interior.

The Churchill Falls hydroelectric station is located approximately four kilometers east of the municipality’s downtown. It supplies Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.

From smoke to rain

According to Robert Dawe, who lives in Churchill Falls, cars and trucks were “bumper to bumper” on the Trans-Labrador Highway during the evacuation.

The journey was eventful, when after having to deal with the smoke linked to the fires, he was confronted with a storm accompanied by torrential rain which raged in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Dawe said residents were asked to check in with authorities in Churchill Falls before their departure, and then again in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, to ensure they had arrived safely.

He mentioned that the evacuation order was received in the form of text messages and emails at 7:30 p.m. local time, giving them 45 minutes to pack everything up and leave.

Although authorities had reported earlier in the evening that the fires did not pose a threat, Dawe noted that things “got worse very quickly” when the wind suddenly shifted and pushed the flames closer to the community.

Fires still active

As of Wednesday evening, two fires were burning near the community. The nearest was about 15 kilometers southwest of the city and covered an area of ​​about seven square kilometers.

Across Labrador, seven blazes were active Wednesday, four of which were out of control.

Three of those fires were listed as “in progress,” meaning they are no longer spreading. The other four that continue to spread – including the one that forced the evacuation of Churchill Falls – were active in central Labrador.

Five helicopters, four water bombers and 38 ground personnel were working to put out the flames, Bryan Oke, who is an officer with the Newfoundland and Labrador Forest Fire Service, said earlier Wednesday.

Mr. Oke said he and his teams are closely monitoring conditions in the Churchill Falls area. Temperatures there reached 32°C on Wednesday and sustained winds were expected.

Wildfires are not uncommon in Labrador, especially in early summer when thunderstorms are common as temperatures rise, Oke said.