Chance Harbour cabin owner flees fast-growing wildfire by boat

Patsy Humby said cabin owners in Chance Harbour, on the Bonavista Peninsula, didn't know they had to evacuate until they heard a water bomber fly over their cabins.

"I could smell smoke, but I couldn't see it. So, I came back and went out on the back of my cabin and then I saw it," she told CBC. "I thought, 'Oh my gosh, I think we're in trouble.' It was big."

Provincial fire duty officer Mark Lawlor told CBC the Chance Harbour fire started early Monday afternoon.

Lawlor said it quickly became the largest active fire in the province.

As of 9 p.m. Monday, the fire was about one thousand hectares, according to the provincial government's active wildfire website.

Humby expects her cabin, and the cabins next to hers, will burn.

"The fire was all around them and coming down the hill," she said. 

Humby fled her cabin by boat.

As of Monday afternoon, Lawlor said the fire was moving in a northeast direction away from any communities.

He said the wind, warm temperature and low humidity combined to help fuel the fire, its rapid movement, and growth.

"The conditions were perfect for it," he said.

Three air tankers, one helicopter and firefighters were on scene on Monday. 

Lawlor said some firefighters were getting cabin owners out of the area, as the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture advised anyone in the Chance Harbour Resource Road cabin area to immediately leave.

This follows the provincial government's decision to issue a provincewide fire ban on Friday. The majority of the island is reaching temperatures in the high 20s and some into the 30s.

Two fires that started in eastern Newfoundland on Sunday are labelled as burning out of control, with the Northwest Brook fire estimated to be 9.2 hectares and the Maccles Lake South fire estimated to be four hectares.

A wildfire burning near Bonavista Bay started on Saturday and is estimated to be one hectare. It's considered as under control.

In central Newfoundland, two more fires are considered under control, including the largest wildfire active in the province near Pamehac Brook North.

Located near Badger, the Pamehac Brook North fire is estimated to have burned 1,034 hectares. It started on June 17 and prompted the provincial government to issue a temporary evacuation order for residents.

The Bellman's Pond fire is also under control. It started last Wednesday and is estimated to be just under one hectare. 

In western Newfoundland, the two Burnt Dam fires continue to burn. They started on July 5. The first is estimated to be 131 hectares and is being held. The second is estimated to be 2.5 hectares and is under control.

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