Highway reopened as fire burns near Churchill Falls
Fire is moving east, away from town
Emergency crews are dealing with a fire in the woods east of Churchill Falls — an area of central Labrador currently under an extreme fire risk warning.
The provincial government confirmed the fire is moving east, away from the town. It said crews and two water bombers were deployed.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary closed part of the Trans-Labrador Highway between the company town and Happy Valley-Goose Bay, 300 kilometres east along the isolated road, for a stint Wednesday night. It has since reopened.
In an email to the community, N.L. Hydro said helicopters fought the fire from the air.
The fire knocked out the power in Labrador City and Wabush for nearly three hours. N.L. Hydro restored electricity to all customers shortly after 9 p.m.
In a social media post, the nearby town of Fermont, Que., asked the public to be patient with merchants and employees while the power is out in western Labrador.
The Libre-Service gas station in Fermont also urged customers to fill up their vehicles instead of gas cans to avoid diminishing its supply.
The lineup for gas seemed to be about 1km long at one point late Wednesday evening.
A video posted to social media by Robert Dawe shows large plumes of smoke billowing into the sky, and crews fighting flames on the side of a highway between the community and the power plant.
Dawe said he was on his way home to get a tool for his garage, Rob's Repair Shop, in Churchill Falls when he saw smoke "above town."
"My legs are shaking and my heart is thumping," Dawe told CBC News after he finished live-streaming the scene from a distance.
Dawe is preparing for the worst should the wind change direction and he and his family need to evacuate.
"This is going to be a very bad summer, I think," he said. "I hope everyone stays safe."
Parts of Labrador are under a moderate to extreme risk of wildfires, according to the province's fire hazard map, updated Wednesday evening.
Environment Canada data shows only 257.1 centimetres of snow has fallen in Labrador throughout the 2024-25 season, compared to about 388 centimetres last year.
Approximately 412.2 centimetres fell in Labrador during 2020-21. The data indicates a trend of diminishing snowpack in the area.
Snowpack is a compressed accumulation of snow that melts over time — sometimes months after the last snowfall — moistening the ground underneath it and providing water to vegetation when the weather is typically dry.
The drier the ground is, the higher the risk of it burning.
Labrador West MHA Jordan Brown is among those who lost power for some time Wednesday.
He said the province needs to take a more proactive approach toward wildfire preparedness.
Brown said too many resources are centralized on the island portion of the province.
"I think their approach is wrong," Brown told CBC News in a telephone interview. "And clearly it just shows how vulnerable Labrador is when it comes to forest fires."
"I've been warning, you know, since last year... that this could happen."
Brown said Forestry Minister Lisa Dempster called him Wednesday morning and informed him that a water bomber will be in Labrador West for the next three days.
The NDP MHA urged residents to learn from last year by being prepared to evacuate if the time comes.
A fire spread out of control in Churchill Falls last June, forcing all residents to evacuate.
Another fire in July saw nearly 10,000 people flee from Labrador City. It ravaged about 14,000 hectares of land, and forced the closure of a portion of the Trans-Labrador Highway between Churchill Falls and Happy Valley- Goose Bay.
Brown nearly lost his own home at the time.
"I'm like anybody who should be prepared," he said. "We're completely surrounded by forest."
Western Canada, too, is feeling the force of this fire season.
More than 4,000 Saskatchewan residents evacuated their homes due to wildfires this week. Several communities in Manitoba have declared states of emergency or have evacuated.
Labrador City Deputy Mayor Mitchell Marsh says his community feels more prepared to deal with fires this year than they were last year.
This time, Marsh said, there is a complete evacuation plan expected to be in place by mid-June.
"We all know last year was a little hectic," Marsh told CBC News. "I still am very proud of how we did, but five hours of hecticness, we can definitely control that a little better."
The deputy mayor said the western portion of Labrador is more vulnerable when the ground is "yellow and crunchy," so he's hoping for some rain and green vegetation before a fire can break out.
Like other officials, Marsh is urging residents to be proactive.
There is a complete fire ban active in Labrador City, but Marsh also says it's important to be mindful of heat coming from ATVs and other vehicles, and to be careful when in the woods.
On the island, Justice and Public Safety Minister John Haggie attended an event at the Gander Fire and Rescue Training Grounds Wednesday morning.
He says education is an essential part of preparing for potential wildfires, and that firefighters are prepared.
The minister said the province has the resources to handle multiple significant fires simultaneously.
"I think there is a real desperate need for people to realize just how risky it can be to have an uncontained fire in the province anywhere at the moment," Haggie said.
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.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Troy Turner, Jenna Head and Darryl Dinn