Wildfire in eastern Newfoundland prompts evacuations in small communities

SMALL POINT-BROAD COVE-BLACKHEAD-ADAMS COVE – Residents of several small communities in eastern Newfoundland were ordered on Monday to leave their homes as two separate wildfires burned along the shores of Conception Bay.

The provincial government issued evacuation orders just before 2 p.m. local time for the two towns of Small Point–Adam’s Cove–Blackhead–Broad Cove and Kingston, which are spread along the west side of the bay.

Officials said a 150-hectare wildfire had come within one kilometre of Kingston.

About two hours later, the province’s Public Safety Department confirmed an evacuation order had been issued for portions of the town of Holyrood, about 80 kilometres south of the first fire. Part of the Conception Bay Highway was closed to traffic.

Late Monday night officials issued an immediate evacuation order for the Town of Western Bay. An evacuation alert was issued for the unincorporated area of Ochre Pit Cove.

The province’s Forestry Department issued a statement saying water bombers and ground crews had been dispatched to help fight both fires.

Provincial officials have set up reception centres for displaced residents from both communities.

Earlier in the day, the community of Small Point-Broad Cove-Blackhead-Adam’s Cove declared a state of emergency, saying the fire there posed a serious risk to the safety of residents and property. The town’s council also issued its own mandatory evacuation order.

By Monday afternoon, the weather forecast for the area was calling for mainly sunny conditions Tuesday, with daytime temperature rising from 23 C to 29 C by Friday amid partly cloudy skies. No rain was expected for the rest of the week.

Parts of the largely rural area, known as Conception Bay North, were evacuated in May when wildfires destroyed about a dozen homes and 45 other structures.

Last month, a fire near Musgrave Harbour ignited during a spate of hot, dry weather, forcing about 950 residents to leave the area in northeastern Newfoundland. At the time, it was one of five wildfires burning in the province, including one near Chance Harbour that destroyed several cabins along Bonavista Bay.

Meanwhile, the northern half of the Avalon Peninsula, which includes the areas where the latest fires are burning, remained at an “extreme risk” of experiencing forest fires,  according to a fire danger map compiled by Natural Resources Canada.

The province’s “fire hazard rating” map also shows extreme warnings for a large swath of the island, stretching across much of its interior and a portion of southeastern Labrador.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2025.