Thousands of residents in Eastern Canada were forced to evacuate their homes due to a highly aggressive wildfire that has been spreading rapidly in the region. The fire, which began as a small blaze, quickly grew out of control due to strong winds and dry conditions, prompting officials to issue evacuation orders for several communities in the area.
The wildfire has posed a significant threat to both residential areas and wildlife habitats in Eastern Canada. Firefighters have been working tirelessly to contain the blaze, but their efforts have been hampered by the challenging terrain and unpredictable weather conditions. As a result, thousands of residents have been displaced from their homes and are seeking shelter in temporary evacuation centers set up by local authorities.
Residents of the towns of Labrador City and Wabush in Newfoundland and Labrador province were ordered to leave their homes, said provincial fire duty officer Jeff Motty.
"We are seeing extreme fire behaviour out there. The fire is moving about 50 meters per minute," Motty said.
Images shared on social media showed lines of cars waiting to fill up at gas stations as the sky was obscured by enormous clouds of smoke.
"It was quite a shock to see that much smoke," Labrador City resident Stacy Hunt told public broadcaster CBC. "And it's been in pretty much the same place for hours now."
In this remote region residents must evacuate more than 500 kilometres (310 miles) east via the only road available.
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.
The wildfire has also led to the temporary closure of Labrador West Health Centre, according to Furey. Everyone in the hospital has been safely evacuated, including 45 patients receiving care for more serious conditions. Those patients have been moved to facilities within the province, Furey added.
The hospital announced it would remain closed until it is safe to fully reopen.
“Ambulances are stationed in the area to respond to emergency calls as walk-in emergency services are not available,” the hospital said in a news release Saturday.
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