Crews getting wildfire in Miramichi area under control as dry conditions persist

A wildfire reported Wednesday near Miramichi was close to being under control Thursday afternoon, according to New Brunswick Wildfire Management.

Tony Cole, a spokesperson for the branch, said no structures were at risk from the fire on Oldfield Road, about 16 kilometres north of Miramichi.

 At its largest, the fire spanned about 35 hectares, but had been reduced to about 22 hectares when Cole spoke to CBC News.

"We're making good progress on the fire," he said. "We're almost the whole way around it with the hose line."

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There is currently no threat to private property, residents or businesses in the area.

The Miramichi Fire Department said crews responded to the fire at about 3 p.m. Wednesday and continued to fight the flames into Thursday morning. 

"The fire did burn through a hydro line but there was no damage to infrastructure," the department said in an emailed statement.  

Cole said that until a hose line could reach all the way around the fire, it would be considered out of control by the Department of Natural Resources.

Because firefighters already had hoses surrounding the fire, Cole expected it to be under control within hours. 

"Activity is definitely reduced, and we are getting a good handle on it."

Wildfire numbers high

Although wildfires of this size are expected, given the dry and hot conditions, Cole said it is uncommon for the Maritime provinces to experience high numbers of wildfires. 

"Typically, we get lots of moisture off the ocean and high humidity because we are a coastal Maritime province. This drying trend seems to be a little bit out of the norm for us."

New Brunswick is under a provincewide burn ban to prevent fires from starting and spreading. 

Cole advised people to be cautious and vigilant during outdoor activities while the extremely hot and dry conditions continue.  

With a hot and windy weekend approaching, he said a fire can spread in seconds. 

"With a little bit of wind, [a fire] can happen very quickly in these dry conditions," he said. 

"And for those who aren't used to that, I bet they would be very surprised at how quickly it could turn from the size of a football to the size of a football field."