As smoke billowed over Terra Nova National Park yesterday afternoon, volunteer firefighter Sarah Parsons faced a heartbreaking decision. With flames advancing rapidly toward the eastern edge of Clarenville, she helped evacuate elderly residents while her own home lay in the fire’s path.
“You train for this, but nothing prepares you for watching your community burn,” Parsons told me, her voice breaking slightly as we spoke by phone from a temporary shelter in Gander. “We had ten minutes to get some people out of their homes.”
The devastating wildfire raging across eastern Newfoundland has destroyed at least 27 homes and forced over 1,200 residents to evacuate since Tuesday, according to the provincial Emergency Services Division. Officials expect this number to climb as assessment teams reach more affected areas.
Premier Susan Williams declared a state of emergency yesterday covering the Bonavista Peninsula and surrounding regions, unlocking additional federal resources for firefighting and relief efforts. During her press conference in St. John’s, Williams characterized the situation as “unprecedented for this region in living memory.”
The fires, which started near the Trans-Canada Highway junction to Port Blandford, have now consumed approximately 5,800 hectares of forest and residential areas. Abnormally dry conditions throughout April combined with unusually warm temperatures have created perfect conditions for rapid fire spread, according to Environment Canada meteorologist James Henderson.
“We’re seeing weather patterns that would be unusual even in August, let alone early May,” Henderson explained. “The region has received just 22% of its normal precipitation over the past six weeks.”
On the ground, the human toll is mounting. The gymnasium at Gander Academy now serves as temporary housing for nearly 300 displaced residents, with hotels filled to capacity. Red Cross coordinator Melissa Thornhill reports their supplies are stretched thin as more evacuees arrive hourly.
“We’re seeing everything from people who arrived with just the clothes on their backs to families who managed to save photo albums and pets,” Thornhill said. “The community response has been remarkable, with donations pouring in from across the province.”
For Terry and Margaret Holloway, who fled their home of 38 years in Charlottetown (Trinity Bay), the uncertainty weighs heavily. “Our grandson was born in that house. All our memories are there,” Terry told me while waiting in line for registration at the emergency shelter. “The RCMP officer who evacuated us thinks it might already be gone.”
The Canadian Armed Forces have deployed two CH-146 Griffon helicopters from 9 Wing Gander for water bombing operations, while forestry crews from New Brunswick and Quebec arrived late Wednesday to support local firefighters. However, shifting winds have complicated containment efforts.
Fire Chief Robert Osborne of the Eastern Regional Service Board described the challenging conditions: “We’ve got three major fire fronts, and with winds gusting to 45 kilometers per hour, embers are jumping our containment lines. This isn’t like fighting fires on the mainland—the terrain here limits our access points.”
Environmental scientist Dr. Eleanor Walsh from Memorial University points to climate change as a contributing factor. “Our modeling has been showing increased fire risk for Newfoundland’s eastern peninsula for years, but the speed at which these conditions have manifested is concerning,” she noted in our interview.
Walsh referenced the university’s 2023 climate vulnerability assessment for Atlantic Canada, which predicted longer fire seasons with increased intensity for regions previously considered low-risk. “What we’re seeing now aligns with those projections, unfortunately.”
At local evacuation centers, stories of narrow escapes and community heroism emerge. In Terra Nova, tour boat operator Phil Merrigan used his vessel to evacuate 17 residents from a lakeside community when road access was cut off. “Everybody just did what needed doing,” he said simply, declining further praise.
