New Brunswick's largest fire still out of control on day 10
Several fires continue to burn out of control in New Brunswick on Friday, and the government is expecting more help Saturday for firefighting efforts.
The province's largest wildfire, the Oldfield Road fire, which straddles the northern edge of the city of Miramichi, is still out of control on its 10th day, now listed at 1,402 hectares, an increase of 50 hectares from Thursday.
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The province has said that because of high traffic volumes, its online dashboard of fire information may be slow or take a while to load.
A helicopter with a water reservoir is seen leaving the Hugh John Flemming Forestry Centre in Fredericton on Thursday. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)
Nine fires burning out of control on Friday morning were all in the northeastern part of the province. The number was later reduced to six.
At around 11:30 a.m., the government shared an update that said there are 23 active fires, five that were being patrolled, two under control, seven contained, three being monitored and six out of control.
The province refers to the six out-of-control fires as Oldfield Road, Chief's, Pats Brook, Green Brook, Smoker Brook and Bass Brook.
The largest fire after Oldfield Road is Chief's, which is farther west than the others and is about 25 hectares.
Four other out-of-control fires are relatively small in size.
As more fires start, and existing ones burn on, 40 additional firefighters are coming from Ontario on Saturday, the province's update says. But 20 Nova Scotia firefighters will be returning to their province to support wildfire efforts there.
There were still no reports of structures lost to the fires as of Friday.
Rain expected Sunday
New Brunswick, along with much of the rest of the country, has experienced hot and dry conditions for the last two weeks or so.
A weak cold front on Thursday brought slightly cooler temperatures than the high 30s that many regions had been getting. The highest temperature in the province on Thursday was 30.7 in Moncton, while Miramichi, which broke daily temperature records all week, topped at 27.4 C.
Smoke plumes are seen on Thursday at the Oldfield Road fire. A special air quality statement from Environment Canada is in place for Miramichi. (Government of New Brunswick)
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Some places also saw brief periods of rain.
According to CBC meteorologist Tina Simpkin, high temperatures during the day Friday will range from 21 C along the coast to 27 C inland. Saturday will see similar temperatures. There is a chance of showers for Sunday, with similar temperatures to Friday and Saturday.
An Environment Canada special air quality statement is still in place for the Miramichi area and southeast New Brunswick because of smoke from nearby wildfires. According to CBC meteorologist Tina Simpkin, high temperatures during the day Friday will range from 21 C along the coast to 27 C inland. Saturday will see similar temperatures. There is a chance of showers for Sunday, with similar temperatures to Friday and Saturday.
An Environment Canada special air quality statement is still in place for the Miramichi area and southeast New Brunswick because of smoke from nearby wildfires.
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This article was originally published for CBC News on Aug. 15, 2025.