Water bombers have slowed the growth of a wildfire threatening Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest city, but the flames are still burning out of control, officials said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the provincial government has introduced a ban on all-terrain vehicles on forested roads as crews grapple with five out-of-control wildfires across the province—the largest of which now encompasses more than 64 square kilometres, Premier John Hogan told a briefing in St. John’s.
Earlier in the week, Hogan said an ATV ban wasn’t a good idea because off-road vehicles are important for those who live and work in the woods.
“What’s changed is fires continue to happen,” he said. “We need to make sure that no further fires crop up because we only have so many assets … to fight the current fires. It was a step that we needed to take today out of an abundance of caution.”…