(Happy Valley-Goose Bay) The small municipality of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, located in Newfoundland and Labrador, lifted on Saturday morning, around 9 a.m., the state of emergency which had been in force since 9:30 p.m. the day before due to a fire which had spread to an area containing explosive materials.
The mayor of this town of some 7,000 inhabitants, George Andrews, made the announcement on the municipality’s web page, thus allowing evacuees to return home.
“Affected residents are allowed to return to their homes at this time. We implore the general public to stay away from the area while firefighters and RCMP remain on scene over the next few hours and possibly days,” he said.
Earlier Saturday morning, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed that the fire was under control.
In a message posted on Facebook, the RCMP indicated that there was no risk of an explosion, but that residents of the city and the Canadian Forces base should stay away.
Firefighters battled the blaze throughout the night, according to RCMP.
No one was injured, but the fire caused significant damage to several commercial structures.
Mayor Andrews, for his part, spoke of “historical and economic losses caused by the fire.”
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey discussed the situation with local MLA Perry Trimper and offered his support to the city’s mayor.
Testimony of an evacuated woman
A local resident, Monica Legge, told The Canadian Press that she had to flee her home Friday evening with her husband and their six dogs.
Mme Legge says she had just sat down to dinner when her smartphone lit up with frantic messages about the fire at the old Happy Valley-Goose Bay Airport in central Labrador.
She was watching the massive fire from her back porch when RCMP officers stopped and told her that everyone in the area had to leave because they were in the “explosion zone.”
According to Mme Legge, the ground shook with what seemed like an explosion.
Monica Legge said she was relieved to be able to return home and that no one was injured. She prepares herself emotionally to see the extent of the damage when she arrives home.