(NL-Wildfires)
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier John Hogan says two water bombers and another aircraft from Ontario are expected to boost wildfire suppression efforts in the province.
Hogan says the Canadian Armed Forces is also doubling the number of firefighters on the ground from 40 to 80 with all expected in the field today.
He says crews battling the Kingston fire, which is the largest, are dealing with the same high winds and temperatures which saw the spread of the fire over the weekend.
As of yesterday, five wildfires are burning out of control in the province.
(The Canadian Press)
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(NB-Wildfires)
Firefighters in New Brunswick are battling several wildfires.
As of yesterday three were considered out-of-control including one one in Irishtown near Moncton, another north of Miramichi and a fire in the Bathurst region.
Provincial officials say extremely dry and dangerous conditions present the risk of additional fires.
The province has requested assistance and firefighting teams from outside the province were expected to start arriving late yesterday.
(The Canadian Press)
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(PEI-Wildfire-Restrictions)
P-E-I’s provincial government has banned all types of open fires as a wildfire precaution.
The ban applies to private property and all provincial parks and campgrounds and all brush burning permits were recently revoked.
Those caught violating the ban face a fine up to 50-thousand dollars.
Environment Minister Gilles Arsenault says the measure is needed as the province deals with hot, dry weather and as wildfires burn throughout the rest of Canada.
(The Canadian Press)
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(NS-Fatal-House-Fire)
R-C-M-P in Nova Scotia say a 52-year-old woman has died in a house fire.
The Sipekne’katik (SAH’-bay-gah-nah-gah-dee) police detachment says they were called to a structure fire after midnight Sunday at a home on Tuff Street.
When they arrived officers found the home fully engulfed in flames, and firefighters located the body of a 52-year-old woman inside the home.
R-C-M-P are asking members of the public to report any information that may help in their investigation.
(The Canadian Press)
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(Atlantic-Drought)
An East Coast drought that’s been fueling wildfires is also drying up farmer’s fields and has homeowners scrambling to refill empty wells.
Farmers in Nova Scotia are describing the situation as unlike any they can recall in recent memory, as average rainfall levels were down between 90 and 110 millimetres over the past two months.
Brian Proctor — a meteorologist with Environment Canada – says this is among the driest summers on record.
In Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula, where wildfires have burned homes and forced hundreds of people from their homes, the total rainfall in July was 50 millimetres, half of normal levels.
(The Canadian Press)
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(NS-Fatal-Crash)
R-C-M-P in Cape Breton say a 21-year-old man is dead after his motorcycle crashed on the Cabot Trail.
Police say the crash in Cape Breton Highlands National Park occurred Sunday at North Mountain.
The motorcycle rider, who was from Victoria County, was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A section of the Cabot Trail on North Mountain that was closed following the crash has since reopened.
(The Canadian Press)
