Evacuee says water bombers and rain a welcome sight for fighting Badger, N.L., wildfire

A occupant of Badger, who was forced to take flight with her fellowship as a wildfire inched finisher to her community of interests, says it's been a stressful couple of days, but the sight of water bombers in the sky and rain are a welcomed reprieve.

"It was a very comforting sound to hear," Patey said on Thursday.

"Then around 5 a.m., 6 a.m. this morning, I heard an even more beautiful sound, which was the sound of rain."

However, Patey said leaving town was a nerve-racking experience and brought back memories of the 1999 fire, which also forced Badger residents to evacuate.

"For me, to leave the town again, a suitcase in hand, and you go over that bridge leading to Grand Falls and you look in your rearview mirror and you see all that dark, black smoke and everything again? It really did bring me back to the 1999 fire," she said.

The current fire started on Tuesday, ignited by a lightning strike near the community.

On Wednesday, the province ordered residents to evacuate to Grand Falls-Windsor. The provincial government also issued a provincewide fire ban.

Police are now blocking access to Badger.

Forestry protection supervisor Jeff Motty anticipates Thursday will be a busy one.

He said the fire was 600 metres from the town, but they have downgraded it from a Rank 5 fire to Rank 3.

He expects firefighting efforts to pick up as well — there are 35 personnel on site and, Motty said, they've asked for more resources.

"We'll get waterbombers back out on site to work the northwest flank. A helicopter will be bucketing too," said Motty.

As of Thursday morning, the provincial fire hazard map lists the central area of Newfoundland as having a very high risk of fire.

Badger Mayor Dennis Butt is cautiously optimistic about firefighting efforts going forward.

Butt said the fire is directly across from the town, but it hasn't jumped the river. Fire crews remained in the town overnight using sprinklers on infrastructure in case the fire did reach the community.

And some residents chose to stay, despite the evacuation order, said Butt.

As of Wednesday night, 575 residents had registered with the Red Cross at the Joe Byrne Memorial Stadium in Grand Falls-Windsor, and Butt is encouraging others to register if they have not already. It can be done in person at the arena or by calling 709-729-0921.

Butt said all residents have been able to find accommodations.

"So [there is] a large outpouring of support for our community and its residents. We can't be thankful enough for that," he said.

"The humid weather today is also welcome news and will stick around through Friday. High humidity generally means decreased fire behaviour," she said.

Brauweiler said Thursday will be less windy than Wednesday, but it will still be blowing out of the southwest, gusting between 25 and 30 km/h at times.

Reporter

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