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Wildfires Fuel Evacuation Alerts for 20,000 on St. John's Outskirts

Evacuation alerts have spread as crews struggle to contain out-of-control blazes in dry, windy weather

Overview

  • About 5,400 residents in two St. John’s neighbourhoods were added to evacuation alerts Tuesday, joining roughly 15,000 in nearby Paradise and Conception Bay South
  • The Kingston fire has expanded past 64 square kilometres while a blaze near Paddy’s Pond grew to about 2.5 square kilometres, forcing officials to pull ground crews from extreme heat and flames
  • Six water bombers, including two from Ontario, are active alongside up to 80 Canadian Armed Forces firefighters and a contracted Sikorsky S-92 helicopter due to arrive from Alberta
  • The provincial government has banned all-terrain vehicles on forest roads and issued fines under its fire ban to enforce safety measures
  • Thick smoke is preventing accurate damage assessments and forecasts of high winds and heat warnings threaten further fire intensification