400 homes evacuated, 1 destroyed as Saint Andrews-area forest fires spread
An ATV caught fire Sunday, blaze spread to surrounding dry woods
An evacuation order remains in place for Bocabec and surrounding areas in southwestern New Brunswick, and officials have blocked off part of Highway 127 between Bocabec and Saint Andrews.
A news conference is scheduled to be held at 2 p.m., when fire Chief Kevin Theriault, Saint Andrews Mayor Brad Henderson and Premier Blaine Higgs are expected to provide an update.
The fire has jumped the highway and also some waterways and is now burning in several different areas, kilometres apart. From Kerrs Ridge Road, near the exit to Bocabec, smoke could be seen from five distinct areas.
Waterbombers and fire crews from several departments from as far away as Oromocto are battling the blaze.
Some planes that had gone to Nova Scotia Sunday to assist with a wildfire that continues to burn out of control northwest of Halifax returned to New Brunswick by Monday morning, Higgs told reporters.
"I've been told that certainly on the resource side we have adequate resources now on the ground for the current situation," he said. "But you know that's a moving target, isn't it?"
Higgs was onsite with Saint Croix MLA Kathy Bockus. "We're here as a provincial government to be part of the solution and to provide whatever additional resources are needed to meet the needs," he said.
Smoke caused by the forest fires in communities near Saint Andrews. (Andrea Anderson-Mason)
Almost all residents of Bocabec and Chamcook have had to leave their homes and are unlikely to be back soon as the fires rage on, according to Henderson.
"Unfortunately, this fire still has a ways to go [to] being contained," he told Information Morning at about 7:15 a.m. Monday.
Bocabec is about 17 kilometres northeast of Saint Andrews, and Chamcook is about six kilometres north. They're both small rural communities on the highway leading into the seaside town.
Outside the command centre that's been set up at the Saint Andrews fire station, people have been arriving with food and asking what they can do to help.
Out of control, could get worse
According to the provincial Wildland Fire Reporting System, the fire is out of control, and has spread to 617 acres, or 250 hectares, since it started less than 24 hours ago.
The evacuation area includes 10 kilometres along both sides of Highway 127 — from the Highway 1 exit until Glebe Road, Henderson said.
Saint Andrews Mayor Brad Henderson says dozens of firefighters are heading back out to the forest fires in the Bocabec and Chamcook areas, as additional air support is expected to arrive Monday morning. (Brad Henderson/CBC)
The fire is unpredictable, and anyone who's still in the area should leave, he said.
"There is absolutely no reason to be in your home," he said. "This is a changing situation where it could certainly get worse."
Many people in the area have been trying to get to the blocked-off area to check on property, but they are being turned away.
Emergency assistance offered
The W.C. O'Neill Arena opened as an emergency shelter and is offering food and accommodation.
Henderson said about 100 people registered with the Red Cross at the arena, and none had to sleep on a cot because hotels, airbnbs and private homes are opening their doors to help them out.
"When you drive through Saint Andrews and you see the Algonquin Hotel have a lineup of cars, and you see everyone, just their cars full of all their belongings, it really hits home, how this is impacting people," he said.
The forest fire in Saint Andrews spread quickly, growing from a small ATV fire to cover 500 acres in fewer than 24 hours. (Roger Cosman/CBC)
Vicki Hogarth, news director with CHCO Television, an independent television station in Saint Andrews, said she'd spoken to people worried about their homes and belongings.
"In one case we were standing with the family who were watching what they were pretty sure was their home on fire and they had their dog with them, but they couldn't find their cat in time," she told Information Morning. "They were hoping, just because it was a nice day, that the windows were open and the cat was safe."
She said she also saw people trying to get their livestock to safety.
Firefighters have been hiking into the woods with backpacks, but Henderson said air support is coming. Although one home has been lost, there have been multiple close calls that firefighters successfully beat back, he said.
On Sunday, small planes were spraying the woods with fire retardant and attempting to slow the burn. They had to land for the night but Henderson said they're coming back Monday.
The fire spread quickly to multiple places because of dry weather and high winds. (Peter Vihvelin/Submitted)
This year has already been above average in forest fire size. Since the beginning of the year, 292 hectares have burned, which is 10 hectares higher than the 10-year average.
With files from Mia Urquhart and Information Morning Saint John