Western Bay ordered to evacuate as C.B.N fire grows larger

As fire crews continue to fight an out of control wildfire in Conception Bay North, an immediate evacuation order has been issued for the Town of Western Bay.

Evacuees are advised to head north on route 70 and to register with the Canadian Red Cross at the reception centre at Persalvic School Complex in Victoria.

A statement form the province issued at 11:30 p.m. Monday said the evacuation order is "stemming from extreme wildfire behaviour in the area."

An evacuation alert is also in place for residents of Ochre Pit Cove. This means residents in that area should be prepared to evacuate on short notice.

In a 9:30 p.m. public advisory, the province said the wildfire, which is near Small Point–Adam's Cove–Blackhead–Broad Cove and Kingston, remains very active. 

According to the government, water bombers, helicopters, and ground crews maintained the fire's perimeter for most of the day. 

However, the province said the fire has since grown in size after a late evening surge pushed the fire into the southwest edge of Small Point-Adams Cove.

In a social media post at 11:00 p.m. Monday, Newfoundland Power also announced that it shut off power in areas from Kingston to the end of Adam's Cove to support the wildfire response. 

While it is currently unknown how large the fire is, government had previously estimated the size to be 156 hectares. 

This fire is the latest in a string of wildfires in the area in recent months.

Evacuees are offered shelter at Victoria's Persalvic School Complex, however the province says if residents decide to shelter elsewhere, they are still required to register by calling 709-729-0921.

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.