Rain could allow N.B. to reopen forests, 5 fires still out of control
New Brunswick's minister of natural resources said Monday that weekend showers and cooler temperatures have been helpful in the province's fight against several dozen concurrent wildfires, but the province is not out of danger, yet.
As 35 wildfires still burn, John Herron suggested some commercial and recreational activities in forests could open up again on a selective basis, depending on the area, and the Edmundston area could be first.
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In a live update on wildfires, Herron said two to five days of rain similar to what parts of the province saw this weekend would help, and easing restrictions wouldn't happen overnight.
"We have been lucky enough to receive rain over the last few days and finally break from that extreme heat," Herron said, noting the moisture bought fire crews two to three days before the forest dries out once again.
Since the fires began, roughly 2,500 hectares of what Herron called merchantable timber in the province has been lost or is at risk, he said.
A helicopter with a water reservoir is seen leaving the Hugh John Flemming Forestry Centre in Fredericton on Thursday. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)
The lost timber results in a $4 million loss in royalty revenue or stumpage to land owners, a $10.5-million loss in direct or indirect tax revenue to the government, a $42.5 million loss in saw mill revenue and roughly $77.5 million in GDP loss.
Herron added that those projected numbers are on the "higher end."
Despite the weekend showers, wildfire danger still remains high.
"Quick rain showers only dampen the surface, while the dry material underneath can still ignite easily. Sun and wind can dry out that moisture within hours, creating dangerous conditions again," said an update Monday morning posted to the province's fire watch website.
Herron said the province's fire centre is looking at longer-term planning on how to get fires under control.
Fires could be here another month
"It does kind of hurt my feelings to use the word longer-term planning. It does mean these fires are going to be with us for the month ahead, absent of a torrential downpour throughout all of New Brunswick."
Rain and firefighting efforts have allowed the province to contain its largest wildfire, the Oldfield Road fire in the Miramichi area.
The fire was first detected on Aug. 6 and covers just over 1,400 hectares on the northern outskirts of Miramichi and beyond them.
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)
"The fire is surrounded by barriers like bulldozer breaks or hose lines," said the update, explaining why the fire is now considered contained.
The lines are expected to keep the fire from "spreading further if firefighting efforts continue," but the fire is "still actively burning on some or all edges, and it could potentially jump or spread."
Five fires were burning out of control in New Brunswick as of 7 p.m., down from 14 yesterday.
The out-of-control fires include the Beaver Lake Stream fire in Northumberland County, near Kennedy Lakes Protected Nature Area. The fire has grown from 583 hectares yesterday to 650 hectares this afternoon.
Herron said Monday morning that 40 highly trained firefighters have arrived from Ontario and are being directed to the Beaver Lake Stream fire which he describes as being "very, very remote."
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Seven of the out of control fires are being monitored, which according to the province's website means they aren't "immediately threatening life or infrastructure" and are being monitored by aircraft, with no firefighting resources assigned to them.
Some residents in the Lavillette area were issued an evacuation advisory that was lifted on Sunday morning.
Herron said that there are no active evacuation advisories in the province. He added that the only evacuations have been related to the Oldfield Road fire.
The Chief's fire in Northumberland County is also out of control, at 218 hectares.
The Lovalls Lake fire, at 3.7 hectares, is currently burning about 30 kilometres southwest of Bathurst.
Two fires around 20 kilometres apart in Restigouche County are also out of control. The Jacquet River PNA fire is 0.1 hectares and the Jacquet River fire is 70 hectares.
One fire, called Hells Gate, burned two hectares before it was deemed contained on Monday evening. Earlier while it was still out of control, Herron said that the province was "uncomfortable with its location" near Kouchibouguac National Park.
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Thumbnail courtesy of the Government of New Brunswick via CBC.
This article was originally written by Oliver Pearson and published for CBC News on Aug. 18, 2025.