Increased fire activity expected in N.L. as temperatures climb to 30 C
Seven fires burn across province, with focus still on Chance Harbour
While Wednesday was a "good day" for fighting an out of control wildfire near Chance Harbour on Newfoundland's Bonavista Peninsula, provincial fire duty officer Mark Lawlor says Thursday's conditions won't be as favourable.
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"We had the three water bombers and bird dog aircraft in the air and we held the fire on the eastern flank," Lawlor said in an interview with CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning on Thursday.
"We were trying to control that side of the fire from advancing towards the communities of Jamestown and Winter Brook and we were successful in that."
That fire is still considered out of control, and a high temperature creeping toward 30 C forecasted across the province Thursday afternoon won't help.
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Three helicopters will be dedicated to the Bonavista Peninsula area. The Chance Harbour fire remains the main focus of resources, Lawlor said.
Residents no longer have to stand by for evacuation because southwest winds will blow the fire away from communities, but the hot day could change that.
"We are expecting increased fire behaviour with the high temperatures and the high winds," Lawlor said.
"We're going to see some more active fire."
Weather will dictate how quickly crews can tackle the fire from the ground, but Lawlor has no timeline on when that might happen.
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This article, written by Maddie Ryan, was originally published for CBC News.