The province has reopened Crown lands to some activities following three weeks of restrictions during tinder dry conditions and raging wildfires across the province.
“As of midnight tonight, we will be removing restrictions that were placed on Crown lands,” said Premier Susan Holt during an update on the situation with reporters. “The province-wide burn ban remains in place.”
Holt thanked New Brunswickers for continuing to respect the burn ban and rules around activities on Crown land. She also expressed gratitude toward the firefighters who have been working for sixteen days to protect people and property.
Natural Resources Minister John Herron said while the wildfire situation remains serious in New Brunswick, it is making progress.
There are currently three fires considered out of control by the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development (DNRED).
- 256 – Beaver Lake Stream
- 281 – Rocky Brook
- 300 – Black River Bridge
The evacuation advisory issued for the area around the Black River Bridge fire remains active, which means residents in the immediate region of the fire should prepare to evacuate on short notice.
A little more than 2,390 hectares have burned in just three weeks, more than four times the ten year average. Herron said it expects the risk to remain high until the “snow flies” or mid-to-late October.
Local advisories issued
In Charlotte County, there have been no known wildfires. However, Eastern Charlotte remains at Level One with its Emergency Measures Operations (EMO). It remains at that level due to the drought conditions and wildfire risk in the region.
Residents there are being asked to conserve water, but trails used for recreation are reopened.
“Users are encouraged to take extra precautions while using trails and parks,” the advisory said.
Air quality advisories are also issued for southwest New Brunswick. Wildfire smoke from Nova Scotia and northern New Brunswick have caused reduced air quality across the province.
In St. Stephen, the municipality is warning about wildfire smoke from Long Lake in Annapolis County, N.S.
“Local smoke concentrations will vary with small changes to wind speed or direction,” an alert from the Municipal District of St. Stephen (MDSS) said.
People who are 65-years-old and older, pregnant people, infants and young children, people with chronic illnesses or health conditions are more likely to be impacted by wildfire smoke.
“Limit time outdoors,” the alert said. “Consider reducing or rescheduling outdoor sports, activities and events.”
No known causes
While Herron has said about 20 fires were likely ignited by lightning that came with various short rain storms in the last three weeks, the province has no known cause of the Irishtown and Miramichi fires.
The Black River Bridge fire, Herron explained, was a lightning strike that burned beneath the surface for about five to six days before being discovered.
When asked by a journalist whether there was a known cause for the largest wildfire to burn in New Brunswick in the last ten years, the Old Field Fire in Miramichi, Holt simply said no.
Holt also said the province is compiling the cost of the wildfire response, but has no numbers available to provide to the public at this time given the response is ongoing.
“There is still work being done on an urgent level with evacuations [advisories] in place, we are compiling the information, but we don’t have a preliminary number to give,” Holt said.
In the spring, though, Herron announced an additional $40 million to handle firefighting efforts in the province, including equipment.
“The firefighters we have in New Brunswick are highly trained,” Herron said. “We were able to see that expertise they were able to glean fighting the big fires out-west helped us at home.”
