Fire that forced evacuation of Labrador City was nearly out -- but then it exploded

N.L. premier says evacuees can return home Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey says wildfire evacuees can return home in phases.

The fire that forced thousands out of their homes in Labrador City Friday night was gently smouldering and under control this week, but a sudden change in conditions caused it to explode into "an extremely aggressive inferno," Newfoundland and Labrador's premier said Saturday.

Premier Andrew Furey said the blaze was just six kilometres from the town, which is one of the largest communities in Labrador. It grew from six square kilometres to about 100 on Friday, advancing 21 kilometres toward the town in just four hours, he said.

"We hope that the winds change later this evening, and we are praying for rain," Furey told reporters during a video conference call from Labrador.

Labrador City is in the western part of Labrador, and it's home to about 7,450 people. They were told to pack up and leave at 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 remote, two-lane Trans-Labrador Highway, which cuts through the wilderness in the southern part of the region.

There were more than 1,000 cars on the road, Furey said. Pictures on social media showed lineups of hundreds of cars waiting to get into Churchill Falls, in central Labrador, which is the only spot along the way 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-nighters working the tills and the pumps, and volunteers were outside all night directing traffic in and out of the gas bar, she said in an interview.

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

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

Furey said there were three water bombers from Newfoundland and Labrador in the air trying to douse 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 from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, the premier said.

Wildfires have already devoured twice as much land in Newfoundland and Labrador this summer than in typical years, said Blair Adams with the province's Foresty Department.

"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 July 13, 2024.

-- Written by Sarah Smellie in St. John's, N.L.