Forest fires burn on island east and west
There were reports coming in Monday of forest fires burning on opposite coasts of Newfoundland.
A small forest fire was burning near Avondale, but the wind blew the blaze away from homes in the town as of early Monday evening.
A second fire required the attention of fire crews on the west coast near Mount Moriah.
Provincial fire duty officer Boyd Pittman said the three-hectare fire was located near Lee’s Pond in Avondale.
A water bomber focused on drenching the flames closest to homes in the area along with a helicopter. Six people were working on the fire from the ground at the opposite end.
The local RCMP advised media that Ballfield Road in Avondale was closed because of the fire, with only emergency vehicles permitted to access the road.
According to The Weather Network’s website, conditions in the community were quite hot, with a temperature of 26 C feeling more like 31 C with humidity. It was forecasting slight precipitation for the area Monday evening and overnight Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the one-hectare forest fire in the Serpentine Road area of Mount Moriah was contained as of early Monday evening, according to Pittman.
A helicopter was dropping buckets of water on the fire and five firefighters assisted on the ground.
Police were advising the public to stay away from the area Monday.