Active wildfires in New Brunswick down to 20, five out of control

A "no burning" sign is pictured in Miramichi, N.B. (Derek Haggett/CTV Atlantic)

The New Brunswick government says 20 active wildfires are burning in the province Wednesday afternoon, down from 24 Wednesday morning.

Of those:

• 13 are being patrolled
• two are contained

Five wildfires are still out of control:

• 250 - Chief’s
• 256 - Beaver Lake Stream
• 276 - Mount Goold
• 281 - Rocky Brook
• 284 - Green Brook

The province says the situation may change and numbers may evolve throughout the day.

The government continues to ask people to avoid travelling in the affected areas unless necessary to allow emergency crews to do their work.

The section of Route 8 north of Miramichi that was closed due to wildfires is now open.

No structures have been lost due to the wildfires in the province and there have been no serious injuries.

The province has created a new phone line for people who have questions about the wildfire: 1-833-301-0334. Information is also available on the Fire Watch page and the Public Fires Dashboard.

Oldfield Road fire

The province’s largest wildfire – the Oldfield Road fire in the Miramichi area – grew slightly overnight. It is now estimated to be 1,403 hectares, up from 1,402 hectares on Tuesday.

The fire, which has now been burning for two weeks, became contained Monday morning.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Evacuations

There are no evacuation orders in effect at this time.

Residents living in areas close to wildfire activity are advised to be prepared to evacuate on short notice and prepare an emergency kit just in case.

The kit should include necessities for at least 72 hours, such as:

• water
• food
• flashlight
• radio
• batteries
• first aid
• masks (for smoke filtration)
• prescription medications
• pet food

Wildfire status

When wildfires burn, the following terms are used to describe their status:

• out of control – still spreading and not contained
• being monitored – a known, out-of-control fire that is not immediately threatening life or infrastructure, monitored by aircraft or satellite with no resources currently assigned
• contained – surrounded by barriers, such as lakes, roads, and fire lines, but still burning and could spread
• under control – surrounded and stable; low activity, minimal risk of escape
• being patrolled – contained with little to no fire activity; crews monitoring hotspots
• out – fully extinguished; no smoke for at least 24 hours
• fire of note – a fire requiring significant resources or threatening homes or critical infrastructure

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.