Out of control New Brunswick wildfire is manageable, say fire officials

Officials say a wildfire in the south of New Brunswick is still considered out of control, but it is manageable.

Roger Collet, wildfire management officer with the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, says the fire in the Bocabec and Chamcook areas near Saint Andrews, N.B., is still smouldering, but there is little fuel left to burn.

Calmer weather has helped limit the spread of the blaze, which was started Sunday by an all-terrain vehicle.

Collet says officials are keeping an eye on up to 400 hot spots over nearly five-and-a-half square kilometres of scorched land.

He says the rough terrain prevented an exhaustive inspection of the territory.

Given the hot, dry conditions, firefighters will be kept close by so they can quickly extinguish any fires that break out.

2:00 Residents able to return to homes in area of Bocabec fire

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2023.