Two fires burning in New Brunswick remain out of control Tuesday, according to the provincial fire dashboard, with one of the blazes more than doubling in size overnight.
The Oldfield Road fire, about 15 kilometres north of Miramichi, has grown from 450 hectares on Monday to an estimated 1,120 hectares, the equivalent of 11.2 square kilometres, on Tuesday.
The Irishtown fire near Moncton, also called the 115 Pit fire, decreased in size, from its last reported 54 hectares to an estimated 45 hectares as of Tuesday morning.
No structures have been reported lost at this time from either fire.
Andrew Noble, who’s visiting his parents in nearby Shediac Cape, says he’s been able to see water bombers refilling in the bay.
“It was a pretty busy day on the water, so a bit of a hectic scene,” Noble told CBC, adding the planes flew over his parents’ house on their way to battle the Irishtown fire.
“The skill of these crews that come in and do the work that they do is nothing short of spectacular,” he said.
According to the Department of Natural Resources, a full complement of 14 air tankers is available in New Brunswick now, along with two additional helicopters, for a total of three.
Five firefighters from P.E.I. have come to New Brunswick to assist, as well as five from Maine. Twenty firefighters are expected to arrive from Nova Scotia on Wednesday.
Several other wildfires burning across New Brunswick are considered under control.
The Wedge Extension fire, about 20 kilometres south of Bathurst near a mine site, is now classified as contained at 1.1 hectares. It was initially declared out of control on Monday afternoon, when its size was unknown.
Two other fires in the province are categorized as contained, according to the dashboard — the Slash fire in York County in southern New Brunswick and the Black River fire near Kouchibouguac in the east.
Department of Natural Resources offices are closed to the public to allow staff to focus on wildfires.
Firefighters from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are helping fight a fire in Maple Hills on the outskirts of Moncton, which is still out of control but is now down to 45 hectares, compared with 54 hectares on Monday.
The dashboard also notes seven other fires it categorizes as “being patrolled,” which indicates the fire is fully contained, with no fire activity and only occasional smoke found.
Fire risk across New Brunswick remains extreme, leading to continued restrictions on activity that could spark a blaze.
Crown land has been closed to activities including camping, hiking and using off-road vehicles since midnight Sunday, and remains closed until further notice.
There are no evacuation orders issued for the Irishtown fire at this point, but people living in the Irishtown, Tankville, Evangeline and Lakeville areas are asked to stay prepared to evacuate on short notice.
Near Miramichi, Route 8 is still closed between McKinnon Road and Highway 450, as well as portions of Oldfield Road, Russellville Road, and McHardy Road. A detour is set up, with vehicles being directed through Neguac.
A burn ban remains in place for the entire province until further notice, and an Environment Canada heat warning for the entire province — save for the Bay of Fundy coast — is expected to remain in place until Wednesday, with maximum daytime temperatures expected to reach up to 36 C.
The provincial Emergency Measures Organization, or EMO, is maintaining a list of comfort centres across the province that have opened for relief from the heat.
The list includes centres in Miramichi, Upper Kent, Glassville, Irishtown, and McAdam.
