The City of Fermont issued an evacuation warning to its citizens Friday evening, due to a forest fire that is intensifying to the north of the municipality.
The early warning is sounding after a forest fire affecting the Labrador territory north of Fermont and the Lac Bloom mining complex intensified due to strong winds. In a press release, the Côte-Nord municipality urged citizens to stay informed and prepare to have to leave their homes.
The City of Fermont has asked Minerais de Fer Québec authorities to evacuate employees from the Lac Bloom mining complex, due to the proximity of the facilities to the fire.
The nearly 10,000 residents of the towns of Labrador City and Wabush, located north of Fermont, have already been ordered to evacuate to Goose Bay, which is a six-hour drive along a remote two-lane highway that cuts through the region’s southern wilderness.
Social media posts show people arriving in Happy Valley-Goose Bay Saturday morning after waiting in line for hours to get to Churchill Falls in central Labrador, which is the only place to refuel along the way.
The fire remains under the surveillance of the Forest Fire Protection Society (SOPFEU) and the civil security measures organization of the City of Fermont, we can read in the press release.
With The Canadian Press