Water bombers dousing Labrador fires halted by thunderstorms, but rain is coming

Crews are building fire lines and using industrial sprinklers to protect a central Labrador town from wildfires, though a thunderstorm temporarily halted a fleet of water bombers on Monday.

Newfoundland and Labrador forest fire duty officer Mark Lawlor says the majority of the firefighting focus in the area is on two fires burning west of Churchill Falls, one 17 kilometres and the other seven kilometres from the town.

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Lawlor says the fires in both areas are still smouldering and trees are still bursting into flames, but there is rain in the forecast for Wednesday.

He says the blaze closest to Churchill Falls advanced by about a half-a-kilometre Monday, but not in the direction of the community, which is home to massive hydroelectric plant that serves Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec.

He says there are more than 60 industrial sprinklers set up along one side of the town to protect it if the fire jumps across the Churchill River, which is in between the flames and the community.

Lawlor says Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro has also made headway removing trees and brush to create a fire line on the west side of the town.

"Today is good. Our fire behaviour analyst has reduced his prediction on fire behaviour, we expect to see less fire behaviour there today," Lawlor said Monday about the weather conditions.

"Tomorrow, we could see some increased fire behaviour, given the increased temperature and higher wind."

The rain forecast for Wednesday, if it comes, "will certainly be a big help," he added.

Water bombers had to stand down Monday because of a passing thunderstorm, and they flew back east to Happy Valley-Goose Bay to wait out the weather, Lawlor said. However, helicopters were able to quickly resume dumping water on the fires once the storm passed.

About 750 residents and workers were evacuated from Churchill Falls last week because of the nearby wildfire. Officials have not yet said when they might be able to return home.

The provincial wildfire dashboard on Monday afternoon showed nine wildfires burning in Labrador and one on the island of Newfoundland. Seven were out of control, including the fire closest to Churchill Falls. Two -- one in Labrador and one in Newfoundland -- were under control, and the remaining blaze, which was about 17 kilometres from Churchill Falls, was "being held," which means it is no longer spreading.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2024.