'It's taking a toll on a lot of people': Bay d'Espoir Highway fire impacts travellers, communities
CBC
The ongoing forest fire surrounding the Bay d'Espoir Highway, is impacting travellers as well as communities on the island's south coast.
In an update early Sunday, the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture said the highway, the only road into the region, will remain closed until conditions improve.
"It's taking a toll on a lot of people," Roy Drake, deputy mayor of Harbour Breton, said Saturday. "We have a lot of people, hundreds of people actually, stranded in central trying to get home."
"And we have a few people down this way trying to get back out there ... It's just causing a kind of chaos."
The highway closure remains in place as a result of the still out-of-control forest fire in the region. It is one of four active forest fires in Central Newfoundland.
While the Paradise Lake fire spanned 3,884 hectares yesterday, it has now grown by almost 40 per cent, to a size of 5,392 hectares. The Bay d'Espoir Highway fire has stayed the same size of 5,180 hectares.
The provincial government declared a state of emergency late Saturday that covers the areas of Grand Falls-Windsor, Bishop's Falls and the Connaigre Peninsula.
In Saturday night's video statement, Forestry Minister Derrick Bragg said officials are concerned that the two fires will combine Sunday and threaten nearby Grand Falls-Windsor.
For communities on the south coast, says Drake, health-care access and supply shortages are among the main concerns.
"The trucks that didn't get into the area on Friday, well, of course, that'll trickle down through the weekend to the stores," said Drake.
"By Monday or Tuesday, … we will bring in supplies by boat from Fortune if we need to."
The highway closure also means travellers looking to continue south were stranded in Bishop's Falls in Central Newfoundland Saturday.
That's where the Salvation Army has set up to help those who are stranded.
"We're trying to provide some balanced meals for them and any supplies that they may need," said Mike Barry, who is with the Salvation Army's Emergency Disaster Services. "Anything just to ease their burden."
This First Person column is the experience of Shannon Flaman, who lives in Red Deer, Alta. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
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