Churchill Falls residents ordered to evacuate as wildfire grows out of control
Forestry officials in Newfoundland and Labrador have ordered the evacuation of the Labrador community of Churchill Falls as a wildfire continues to grow out of control.
Residents have been asked to be out of the community by 8:15 p.m. AT, and have been advised to travel east to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, about 287 kilometres away.
Rob Dawe, a resident of Churchill Falls, said he's seen conditions worsen throughout the day.
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"Around three o clock this afternoon, I could see a haze in town, which we haven't seen the last few days," he told CBC News just after 7:30 p.m. local time.
Forestry officials in Newfoundland and Labrador have ordered the evacuation of the Labrador community of Churchill Falls as a wildfire continues to grow out of control. (Submitted by Tryone Ball)
"When I was home suppertime, I went out to let my dogs out, and I could see really black, thick smoke. And I knew things were getting worse."
High temperatures also remain a concern. Humidex values for parts of Labrador neared 37 C on Wednesday, with overnight lows in areas like Happy Valley-Goose Bay only expected to fall to 22 C.
Churchill Falls is also under a severe thunderstorm warning, which could bring westerly winds of up to 80 km/h.
"It's blowing from the west, so it's blowing the fire toward us. It's really hazy and smoky in town, so we know we got to go," Dawe said.
Dawe said many residents were prepared and ready to evacuate for some time, and that things are moving smoothly.
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro has organized buses to help get residents out of town, Dawe said.
As of Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. AT, residents and visitors of Churchill Falls have been advised to travel east to Happy Valley-Goose Bay as wildfires are travelling closer to the town. (Submitted by Robert Dawe.)
The Mount Hyde Lake fire is closest to Churchill Falls. It is listed as out of control on the province's active wildfire dashboard and spans 702 hectares.
Mount Hyde Lake is about 10 kilometres from Churchill Falls.
The Twin Falls fire is farther west. It is out of control and spans 1,816 hectares.
Residents and visitors of Churchill Falls have been advised that the YMCA in Goose Bay is the check-in point for evacuees.
CBC News has contacted the Department of Forestry for more information.
Thumbnail courtesy of Trina Myles Wilson via CBC.
The story was originally written by Alex Kennedy, Jenna Head and published for CBC News.
