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Jun 22, 2023

Saint Andrews

The wildfire near Saint Andrews is "in pretty good shape," said Roger Collet,

The wildfire near Saint Andrews is "in pretty good shape," said Roger Collet, wildfire prevention officer with the Department of Natural Resources.

Collet told CBC that firefighters are focusing on putting out hotspots around populated areas, but they're also starting to go in a little deeper.

He said the fire is about 20-25 per cent contained, but still listed as out of control. Earlier this week, Collet said the fire can't be deemed contained until it gets to 100 per cent, so even though the fire isn't moving, it is still considered out of control.

"We haven't had any large outbreaks or anything like that," said Collet. "So they're just mopping it up, basically."

Air support that was used to help combat the fire in New Brunswick is now helping Nova Scotia fight the wildfire in the suburbs outside of Halifax, according to a provincial news release.

These planes can "quickly be recalled," said the release, "if any weather change requires them to stay close to home."

There is still a provincewide burn ban in effect because of extremely dry conditions, but cities make their own burn regulations, Collet said.

The City of Saint John issued a release on Thursday morning banning outside burning within city boundaries.

"The current fire hazard is high and the entire province is under a no burn advisory," read the release. "Sources like backyard fire pits, fireworks, cigarette ends, unattended barbecues and burning debris in your yard are all risks and are prohibited at this time."

The City of Fredericton's website says it follows provincial regulations. A spokesperson for the City of Moncton confirmed that city also follows the provincial fire index, which means it is currently under a burn ban.

Collet said towns used to be excluded from provincial burning regulations, but with the new municipal boundaries, some towns gained a lot of forested area. So for this year alone, he said there's an agreement that the Department of Natural Resources controls burning regulations in all towns until legislation can be changed.

Some companies, including JD Irving and AV Group, have reduced operations in wooded areas between noon and 7 p.m., for the time being, because of dry conditions.

All of the province remains under an Environment Canada special weather statement for "unseasonably hot weather."

The high is expected to be 33 C for most of the province Thursday — 10 to 12 degrees above normal values, according to the weather statement.

Collet said while cooler temperatures would be good for the firefighters currently working, he said the heat actually allows firefighters to better find and target hotspots because they start to smoke again in the heat.

But he said as long as the winds don't pick up, the heat alone isn't a great concern.

A cold front is expected to move in tonight, bringing cooler temperatures.

Residents in the affected areas were permitted to move back into their homes on Tuesday.

Brad Henderson, the mayor of Saint Andrews, said while the threat to structures is fairly low, "people have to be alert."

"I know a lot of people, when they got back to their homes, you know, kind of said, 'I'm glad this is over, this is behind us,'" said Henderson. "But the truth is, it's not going to be behind us until the fire is considered out."

As for the damage caused, for the family that lost their home, the situation is quite serious, but considering how significant the fire is and how close it has come to residential areas, he said the overall property damage is not even close to what was expected.

"Compared to what it could have been, it is actually fairly low," said Henderson. "But of course, let's not underestimate the damage to habitat, wildlife and of course, the forest."

Journalist

Hannah Rudderham is a reporter with CBC New Brunswick. She grew up in Cape Breton, N.S., and moved to Fredericton in 2018. You can send story tips to [email protected].

With files from Harry Forestell and Michel Corriveau