The fire that forced the evacuation of Labrador City was almost out, but then exploded

LABRADOR CITY, NL — The fire that forced thousands of people from their homes in Labrador City Friday night smoldered softly and under control this week, but a sudden change in conditions caused it to explode into an “extremely aggressive inferno,” said the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. said Saturday.

Premier Andrew Furey said the fire was just six kilometers from the town, which is one of Labrador’s largest communities. It grew from six square kilometers to about 100 on Friday, advancing 21 kilometers towards the city in just four hours, he said.

“We’re hoping the winds will change later tonight and we’re praying for rain,” Furey told reporters during a video conference call from Labrador.

Labrador City is located in the western part of Labrador and is home to approximately 7,450 people. They were told to pack up and leave around 5:30 p.m. local time on Friday. Municipal officials asked them to head east to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, a six-hour drive along the two-lane Trans-Labrador Highway that cuts through the southern wilderness of the region.

There were more than 1,000 cars on the road, Furey said. Images on social media showed lines of hundreds of cars waiting to enter Churchill Falls in central Labrador, which is the only place along the road to refuel.

Cindy Michelin, co-owner of Strickland’s Auto and Gas in Churchill Falls, said they stayed open all night to serve all those people. Her staff pulled all night working on the house and pumps, and volunteers stayed outside all night directing traffic in and out of the gas bar, she said in an interview.

Churchill Falls was evacuated because of the fires last month, and Michelin said people there were happy to help because they knew all too well what everyone in Labrador City was going through.

Meanwhile, officials in the town of Wabush, which is about seven kilometers southwest of the town of Labrador, issued a notice to his residence asking them to be prepared to evacuate. A similar alert was issued to residents of Fermont, Que., about 30 kilometers south of Labrador City, on Saturday afternoon.

Furey said three Newfoundland and Labrador water bombers were in the air trying to put out the flames near Labrador City. A fourth was working on a fire near Happy Valley-Goose Bay. The province has requested help from the federal government and the interagency Canadian Forest Fire Centre, the premier said.

Wildfires have already consumed twice as much land in Newfoundland and Labrador this summer as in normal years, said Blair Adams of the province’s Department of Forestry.

“And of course the extreme (evacuation) events that we’ve had are absolutely unusual,” Adams added.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 13, 2024.

— Written by Sarah Smellie in St. John’s, NL

The Canadian Press