State of emergency remains in place as crews continue fighting wildfire near Labrador City

Fire around 9 km from Labrador City, mayor says

Homes, cabins near Labrador City evacuated due to wildfire

Five fires are confirmed active and out of control within a 30-kilometre radius of the towns of Labrador City and Wabush as of Tuesday afternoon.

An evacuation order remains in place for Walsh River, the Tamarack Golf Course, Duley Lake and Throne Lake. Around 120 residents were forced from their homes and cabins by fire as of Monday afternoon.

"Thankfully they listened to the advice from the experts," said Labrador City Mayor Jordan Brown, speaking with the CBC in Labrador City on Tuesday.

Labrador City declares state of emergency as wildfire approaches | Carcasole 1300

The town declared a state of emergency on Monday, triggered by what's known as the Walsh River fire. That fire is now being reported by the provincial Department of Forestry as being 12 kilometres from Labrador City.

The so-called Fifth Lake fire is the next-closest on the other side of the towns, about 11 kilometres from the Town of Wabush.

Afternoon activity 'not unexpected': Forestry official

The director of wildfire suppression with provincial forestry, Craig Coady, told the CBC crews are working to tamp down fires as they're identified as priorities — potentially threatening communities, infrastructure or forestry resources. He said rain will be essential for extinguishing them.

He also said there are natural rhythms to wildfires, being seen in Labrador right now. For example, it's "not unexpected" to see some increased fire activity later in the day. The environment dries from the sun and the day's peak temperatures, driving the activity.

In the case of the Walsh River fire, the conditions have contributed to the fire's status, remaining out of control as of Tuesday evening.

"We're not in a place where we would be able to downgrade it at this point in time," Coady said.

It was a similar story for the other fires around Labrador West.

Coady said it did help off the start there was rapid response at the start of the Walsh River fire, in part because equipment was already in the area.

"That's really key to getting in front of these big fires before they get obviously so large that you can't handle them," he said.

Roadways affected by fire smoke

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary warned of poor visibility on the Trans-Labrador Highway near the fires.

Québec's ministry of Transport has closed 230 kilometres of Route 389 — which connects to the Trans-Labrador Highway — indefinitely due to the fire. It means drivers exiting Fermont, Que., will need to do so through Labrador City.

An incident management team will be on the ground in Labrador West on Tuesday to help fire crews, the department said in its social media post. The Town of Labrador City said forestry officials will reassess conditions on Tuesday evening.

The province's online active wildfire dashboard wasn't immediately updated on Tuesday morning, but listed the Walsh River at 200 hectares in size as of 6 p.m. NT Monday. The De Mille Lake fire was listed as five hectares as of 9 p.m. NT on Monday.

Forest fire prompts evacuation orders for Walsh River, other areas near Labrador City

The dashboard lists 24 active wildfires as of 7 a.m. NT Tuesday — 23 across Labrador and one in central Newfoundland.

Brown said evacuated residents should register with the Canadian Red Cross, who have set up operations at Menihek High School.

He's also telling residents to be prepared to leave should evacuation orders expand.

Environment Canada's weather forecast for Labrador City shows a chance of showers late Tuesday afternoon with a high of 25 C. It also says smoke will be seen in the community.

A yellow-level air quality warning was put in place by Environment Canada around 11:30 a.m. NT Tuesday, noting that people more likely to be impacted by smoke should reduce or reschedule strenuous activities.

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With files from Labrador Morning, On the Go