Mother Nature finally relieves firefighting efforts at Churchill Falls
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey said Wednesday he is cautiously optimistic about the efforts to keep the massive forest fire threatening Churchill Falls at bay.
During an update Wednesday afternoon, Furey said the fire remains on the perimeter of the town, which Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro operates to run one of North America's largest power plants.
He said favourable weather conditions should continue to keep the forest fire — which prompted a mass exodus a week ago, and a full evacuation on Tuesday — away from the town's residential areas. The fire is currently about three kilometres from the town.
"We are finally getting some help from Mother Nature," Furey said.
The fire, which has been fluctuating continuously, was downgraded from as high as a Level 6 classification to as low as Level 2. Under higher categorizations, water bombers are unable to fly. Level 2 and Level 3 categorizations indicate there are some open flames and hot spots.
(Rainfall forecast through Wednesday, June 26)
SEE ALSO: Fire jumps river, prompting full evacuation of power-generating Churchill Falls
"These are much better days to fight fires than the two or three we've seen preceding today. And once we get a clear visual once the ceiling is clear we can get choppers, we'll look at what the suppression plan is," said Jamie Chippett, the deputy minister of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry, and Agriculture.
Parts of Labrador West have been without power since Tuesday as flames and dropped water tripped power lines at Churchill Falls, but power had been restored to all customers in Labrador City and most of Wabush as of early Wednesday evening, according to an update from N.L. Hydro. The utility says crews are working to restore power to its remaining customers without electricity.
The Iron Ore Company of Canada mine has also restarted operations in Labrador City.
WATCH: Churchill Falls evacuees in limbo as wildfire lingers near their community
CANADA'S WILDFIRES: Visit The Weather Network's wildfire hub to keep up with the latest on the active start to wildfire season across Canada
As wildfires continue in Labrador and Quebec, there is a risk of additional power outages for all customers in Labrador.
Hydro is monitoring the situation and encourages customers to stay updated and prepared.
Hydro is looking at contingency plans to help Wabush such as moving a generator into place to provide power but neighbouring stations in Quebec have different systems.
Backup supply from Hydro-Québec's Fermont station was a good match for the Labrador City station but not Wabush, according to Williams.
Extreme caution
Hydro is working to allow Fermont power to share supply in the two areas, but the updates must be done with extreme caution.
"If you rush it, you could have power quality issues and you fry everyone's microwave," Williams said.
She is asking the residents of Labrador West for patience and kindness, as N.L. Hydro's primary focus is on the residents of Churchill Falls.
"There are people that are incredibly affected that are removed from their homes and that we have to do our best to prioritize how we are handling things for them," Williams said.
The out-of-control fire jumped the nearby Churchill River on Tuesday afternoon and kept moving, providing a formidable challenge to fire crews.
Earlier Wednesday, Furey said up-to-date intelligence from aircraft was unavailable because of smoke produced by the fire hitting bodies of water like the Smallwood reservoir.
Provincial forest fire duty officer Mark Lawlor said the fire was so powerful on Tuesday that water bombers stopped having an effect. For safety, the pilots pulled out.
"There was no suppression efforts we could have put in that yesterday to stop it," Lawlor told CBC News on Wednesday morning.
Eight water bombers are available to attack the eastern edge of the blaze when it's safe to do so, said Furey on Wednesday afternoon.
SEE ALSO: Canada Day weekend forecast: Changeable but comfortable, with no sign of heat
After a broad evacuation June 19, a full evacuation order was issued Tuesday afternoon, forcing the remaining skeleton staff to leave for safety.
Between 80 and 100 people had been operating the plant and handling operations and site services, fire services and clearing work for a fire break that has been under construction. All personnel were evacuated by suppertime, and 90 people registered at the YMCA in Happy Valley-Goose Bay on Tuesday evening, according to Furey earlier Wednesday.
WATCH: Out-of-control forest fire continues to threaten Churchill Falls
Thumbnail courtesy of Government of Newfoundland and Labrador via CBC.
This article was written by Elizabeth Whitten and Jenna Head, and published for CBC.
