Labrador City Evacuation: Premier Furey Issues Urgent Plea Amid Wildfire Threat

The recent forest fire that prompted the urgent evacuation of thousands of residents in Labrador City took a dramatic and dangerous turn, according to Premier Andrew Furey of Newfoundland and Labrador. The premier, speaking in a video conference call, revealed that the once-contained blaze had transformed into an aggressively expanding inferno perilously close to Labrador City.

The fire, expanding from around six square kilometres to a staggering 100, had advanced a troubling 21 kilometres towards the town within a mere four hours. Premier Furey disclosed that the blaze loomed just six kilometres away from the town, putting its approximately 7,450 residents at grave risk.

Residents of Labrador City were urgently instructed to evacuate on short notice around 5:30 p.m. local time on Friday. Instructed to head eastward towards Happy Valley-Goose Bay, this journey of about six hours along the isolated Trans-Labrador Highway proved challenging with a substantial number of cars reported on the road.

Social media images illustrated lengthy queues of vehicles awaiting their turn to refuel at Churchill Falls, the sole refuelling location along the route. Cindy Michelin, co-owner of Strickland’s Auto and Gas in Churchill Falls, recounted how their team worked tirelessly through the night to assist evacuees, with local volunteers providing support in directing traffic and managing the surge of travelers.

Meanwhile, an evacuation alert was issued in Wabush, just southwest of Labrador City, advising residents to prepare for potential evacuation. A similar notice was dispatched to the populace of Fermont, located about 30 kilometres south of Labrador City, heightening the sense of urgency in neighboring regions.

Despite the challenges, relief efforts were underway, with three water bombers deployed from Newfoundland and Labrador to combat the fires near Labrador City. A fourth bomber was engaged in fire suppression efforts close to Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Premier Furey confirmed that assistance had been sought from the federal government and the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre to combat the escalating blaze.

Blair Adams of the provincial Forestry Department highlighted the unprecedented scale of wildfires this summer, with the destruction of double the usual land area in Newfoundland and Labrador. The gravity of the situation and the swift evacuation orders underscored the severity of the wildfire crisis gripping the region.