ST. JOHN'S — Hundreds of people from several communities in Newfoundland have been ordered to evacuate their homes and businesses as six wildfires continued to burn Wednesday, half of them out of control.
Premier John Hogan told a news conference that an unknown number of structures had been destroyed on the eastern side of the province, including "potentially some lost cabins" in the Broad Cove Pond area.
He said a fire near Small Point–Adam’s Cove–Blackhead–Broad Cove and Kingston had doubled in sized since Tuesday, scorching more than 14.3 square kilometres.
The premier pleaded with residents to obey a new ban on open fires, saying the province is as dry as a tinder box.
Hogan said he was "disappointed and frustrated and angry" to hear that on Tuesday night, hours after the ban came into effect, three campfires were reported in the St. John's area.
"Nobody wants to be responsible for burning down communities, so please just think about the consequences of your actions," he said, adding that he's looking into increasing the fine for violating the ban. Fines now range from $75 to $1,000.
Environment Canada is calling for hot, dry weather in Newfoundland for the coming days, with temperatures between 25 C and 28 C and no rain in the forecast.
The weather agency has issued an air quality warning for northern portion of the Avalon Peninsula, and special air quality statements were issued for much of the rest of the island.
Meanwhile, the province issued new evacuation orders Wednesday for cabin-owners in the Martin Lake, Great Rattling Brook and Rushy Pond areas after a new fire broke out near the Bay d’Espoir Highway in central Newfoundland.
Evacuation orders remain in place for a number of communities in the eastern part of the province, including the Holyrood and Conception Bay South areas, the unincorporated area of Perry's Cove, the town of Salmon Cove, Ochre Pit Cove and Small Point–Adam’s Cove–Blackhead–Broad Cove and Kingston.
Hogan said that on Tuesday he visited with families in Victoria, N.L., a community near the Kingston-area fire.
"There's the sense of anxiety and frustration and fear, as you can imagine," the premier said. "At the same time, there's a sense of calmness and relief because everybody is safe."
"I talked to a woman last night who said her son lost his house, but he was safe in St. John's and that was her main concern. There's going to continue to be a range of emotions as we go though these disasters over the next number of days, and potentially weeks," he said.
The wildfire in the Holyrood area grew very little overnight, staying at about 0.22 square kilometres in size. The premier said the new fire in central Newfoundland was estimated to be about 1.5 square kilometres.
"This is all hands on deck," Hogan said before thanking the crews of firefighters.
The province has said three firefighting aircraft from New Brunswick were set to arrive Wednesday.
Hogan said some residents have raised questions about the province's access to firefighting aircraft and equipment. He said the province has asked for help, adding that decisions about resources are made in co-ordination with the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
"There's a national body that makes that decision based on, obviously, fires going on across the country. And I mean literally — across the country. Vancouver Island is burning. The east coast of the land is burning."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2025.
— By Lyndsay Armstrong in Halifax.
The Canadian Press
