The wildfire near Miramichi, N.B., is now said to be contained but there are still 36 active woodland blazes across the province, six of which are considered to be out of control.
The Oldfield Road fire near Miramichi, which was first detected on Aug. 6, had grown to around 1,402 hectares, according to Fire Watch, the province’s monitoring website.
“I’m pleased to be able to share that the largest fire that has seized the attention of the Department of Natural Resources, moreover, I think all New Brunswickers, was deemed contained around 9:30 a.m. this morning,” Minister of Natural Resources John Herron told reporters.
In a Facebook post, the province says this means it has been surrounded by barriers such as bulldozer breaks or hose lines, which are designed to prevent further spread.
“However, fire is still actively burning on some or all edges, and it could potentially jump or spread,” the post warns.
Fires still considered out of control by the province include Beaver Lake Stream, Chief’s, 9 Mile, Lovalls Lake, Jacquet River PNA, Hells Gate and Jacquet River.
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The two largest fires are in Beaver Lake Stream near Red Bank, which was discovered last Thursday, and the Chief’s fire near Northesk, which was discovered a day earlier.
Over the weekend, the Beaver Lake Stream fire ballooned in size to 238 hectares, while the Chief’s fire is now listed as 218 hectares in size by the province’s Fire Watch website.
“The Beaver Lake stream fire, we’ve got visibility to that was the result of a lightning strike. That one was particularly clear,” Herron explained.
The minister said the fire is in a very remote portion of the province, which will make it tough to get under control.
“It’s north of the Renuse Highway and south of Mount Carlton. It is very, very, very removed from people. So also road infrastructure,” he offered.
“So it’s going to be very challenging for us to be able to get the assets that we’ll need to wrestle that fire down.”
The remainder of the fires are listed as contained, under control, being monitored or being patrolled on Fire Watch.
Rain fell on some areas of New Brunswick over the weekend but it was not enough to put an end to wildfire dangers, according to the Facebook post.
“Quick rain showers only dampen the surface, while the dry material underneath can still ignite easily,” it read. “Sun and wind can dry out that moisture within hours, creating dangerous conditions again.”
The fires have claimed millions of dollars worth of trees in a province in which the economy is heavily dependent upon forestry.
“Given that we’ve lost or are at risk of losing about 2,500 hectares, translated that would that would represent about $4 million in royalty revenue on a go-forward basis or stumpage to to the land owner,” Herron said. “The timber itself would represent about $10.5 million in direct and indirect tax revenue to the government from the forest sector value chain.
“That timber would represent approximately $42.5 million in lumber revenue to sawmills and overall from a New Brunswick GDP perspective it would be about $77.5 million.”
UPDATE: This story has been updated to show more recent numbers about the Beaver Lake Stream and Chief’s fire sizes. On MOnday, they were listed on Fire Watch as being 650 hectares and 650 hectares in size but on Tuesday they were listed as 238 hectares and 218 hectares. This story has been updated Tuesday to reflect the difference.
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