"TORONTO - A fairly controlled fire grew to a 10,000-hectare inferno over the course of a day, causing 9,600 residents of an eastern Canadian community to flee and putting a nearby community on evacuation alert.

The fire northwest of Labrador City, in western Newfoundland and Labrador, was “deemed fully under control” as recently as Tuesday, Premier Andrew Furey told reporters Saturday. Perfect fire conditions on Friday changed that.

The fire grew from 600 hectares to 10,000, moving 21 kilometres in four hours, he said.

It became “an extremely aggressive inferno,” he said, that forced the evacuation of Labrador City. The fire was about six kilometres from town Saturday midday. Nearby Wabush was on evacuation alert Saturday."

Anna Mehler Paperny reports for Reuters July 13, 2024. [2]