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While a forest fire continues to threaten Churchill Falls, so far it has yet to reach the central Labrador town built around one of North America’s largest power plants.
The out-of-control fire jumped the nearby Churchill River on Tuesday afternoon, and for the first time started devouring woods on the outskirts of the town, which Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro runs to keep the plant going.
Officials are hoping for a reprieve in the weather Wednesday, which has a slight rainfall — up to 15 millimetres — in the forecast.
The fire has been formidable.
Provincial forest fire duty officer Mark Lawlor said Wednesday morning that the fire was so powerful on the preceding day that water bombers stopped having an effect. For safety, the pilots pulled out.
“There was no suppression efforts we could have put in that yesterday to stop it,” Lawlor told CBC News.
Working with updates from Tuesday night, Lawlor said the fire is still active along the Trans-Labrador Highway, which was closed Tuesday from Churcill Falls to western Labrador.
The fire, he said, had also jumped the airport, and was headed toward the Smallwood reservoir.
High temperatures and strong winds helped fuel a wildfire that jumped a river toward Churchill Falls, N.L., putting a crucial hydroelectric plant and the community at risk.
After a broad evacuation last Wednesday night, a full evacuation order was issued Tuesday afternoon, forcing the remaining skeleton staff to leave for safety.
Between 80 and 100 people had been operating the plant and handling operations and site services, fire services and clearing work for a fire break that has been under construction.
“Forest officials continue to monitor fire conditions and has advised that as of this evening town structures have not been impacted,” Hydro’s website says in its most recent statement.
All personnel had been evacuated as of 6:15 p.m. NT.
The Hydro statement, posted at 10:54 p.m., said the plant is online but at a reduced load.
The plant is being monitored remotely by other Hydro staff.
The fire caused power outages in both Labrador City and Wabush, two adjacent mining towns in western Labrador, as flames and dropped water tripped power lines at Churchill Falls.
While power was restored to most of Labrador City, “customers in Wabush will unfortunately remain without power as we continue to develop plans to restore the system as well as source alternate supply,” said the statement.
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It added if the Churchill Fall supply is impacted, Labrador east customers will get power from either Muskrat Falls or the Happy Valley-Goose Bay gas turbine.
Lawlor said while the fire was moving quickly, he said there is reason to be optimistic.
“It wasn’t good yesterday. However, the fire weather for today is predicted to be much, much better so that should give us the chance to get back.”
His last report put the fire five kilometres from town, but he added that could have changed.
Rain in forecast
Meteorologist Allison Sheppard said there is rain coming from Churchill Falls that’s supposed to start later Wednesday morning and could drop between 10 and 15 millimetres. There has also been a change in wind direction and cooling temperatures in the evening.
Sheppard added it’s probably not as much as people are hoping for.
“But definitely some changing conditions that hopefully will improve things in the area,” she told CBC News.
More rain is also in the forecast but it could be some time before there is an extended period of heavy rain.
“We’re certainly keeping our eyes on that area,” she said.
Power plant preparing
At Tuesday’s conference, Hydro CEO Jennifer Williams also said workers had been preparing for a scenario of a full evacuation.
On Monday night, Hydro had begun releasing water at its Churchill Falls power plant in case the Crown corporation needed to remove even more staff from an evacuated community already under serious fire threat.
According to the Newfoundland and Labrador government’s active fire dashboard, there were nine active fires in Labrador on Wednesday morning.
A fire previously burning on Newfoundland’s east coast has now been extinguished.
Source: cbc
