Rainfall and humidity expected to help battle fire near Labrador City, says official
CBC
Provincial fire duty officer George Gibbons says Sunday's efforts to fight a Category 1 fire near Labrador City were successful — and he's optimistic Monday's forecast of rain will help contain it.
Gibbons said the fire threatening the town has burned 14,000 hectares but work done by provincial firefighting crews was effective on the weekend.
"We did hold the perimeter there yesterday, which is a positive," he told CBC News on Monday morning.
However, he said there is still a lot of smoke in the air and there are hot spots around the fire's perimeter, he said.
"It's still a very hot and active fire."
On Friday evening, the provincial government ordered the town's evacuation, forcing more than 9,000 people to leave. Neighbouring Wabush is still under an evacuation alert.
The priority right now is to stop the fire from reaching the city and other critical infrastructure, said Gibbons. Water bombers will focus on the fire's southern and southwest perimeters on Monday.
Monday's forecast calls for rain, he said, which will increase humidity in the air and help fire suppression.
According to the provincial government's online fire dashboard, there are 13 fires in Labrador as of Monday morning.
Gibbons said some fires are being held or monitored and he hopes they will be extinguished in the next few days, allowing more resources to be diverted to Labrador West.
The provincial fire service hopes to bring in additional resources from outside Newfoundland and Labrador, he said, but that could be tricky as other fires across the country mean there are limited resources to request.
"There's a number of people that are competing for the same resources. There's a lot of fire activity across Canada," said Gibbons.
Justin Boudreau, a meteorologist at the Gander weather office, said the immediate forecast for the Labrador West area is mixed.
"We have some good and bad news. Good news is it should be showering all day. The high should be around 20 C so not overly hot. It'd be better if it was colder," he told CBC News on Monday.
When Stephanie Gamble watched her mother model the first dress she made, smiling wide and walking an imaginary runway, she knew that was what she wanted to keep doing in her life.
'Tis the season for cuddling on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and watching holiday movies. And for people in B.C.'s Interior, that can increasingly mean seeing their home communities on display.
Every year, snowy owls spread their wings and migrate down to the Prairies, where they enjoy access to plenty of rodent prey in vast open spaces.
This month has been a busy stretch at the Upper Room Food Bank in Charlottetown.
N.W.T. Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland says she has received the final report from an independent investigation into education bodies in the Dehcho region.
P.E.I.’s auditor general says he’s concerned and disappointed that the projected deficit has doubled what government initially estimated it would be — and he's urging the province to balance its budget.
A man found not criminally responsible for stabbing five people to death at a Calgary house party is getting more freedoms but not an absolute discharge.
A man has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a Toronto mother outside a supervised consumption site in Leslieville.
Russian olive trees — sometimes known as silver berry or oleaster — are small, ornamental plants with silvery leaves and black bark, and small yellow flowers and silver fruit that look like miniature olives. They’re pretty, but they’re a problem.
The Yukon Legislative Assembly’s fall sitting ended on Thursday after the territorial government introduced and passed a supplementary budget.
A Canadian military counter-intelligence operative, who stands accused of passing sensitive information to Ukraine, was involved in an investigation into allegations that a leading Canadian defence journalist was a longtime Russian asset.
An Alberta panel aimed at finding ways the province can strengthen its autonomy has offered up seven recommendations, including options for referendum topics.
People won't be able to travel along B.C.'s Highway 3 without significant delays and detours over the holiday season, says the Ministry of Transportation.