Hundreds of Churchill Falls residents fled their homes last night as a raging, out-of-control wildfire drew closer to their community. This morning, they woke up in a town almost 300 kilometers away, in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. A long line of traffic extended over the Trans Labrador Highway late last night.

The YMCA was opened for evacuees with over 500 people registering there.

Officials issued an emergency alert Wednesday evening asking everyone in the town to be out by 8:15 p.m. local time, “due to changing conditions of the fire around the community.”

“I am in touch with officials and we will be there to help in any way we can,” Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey said in a social media post sharing the alert. “Please be safe and check on friends and neighbors at this time.”

The town is home to about 700 people, and town sits along the Trans-Labrador Highway, which extends along Labrador’s massive, wooded interior. The Churchill Falls generating station is located just several kilometres from the town’s center, supplying power to both this province and Quebec.

There were seven wildfires burning in Labrador on Wednesday, four of which were believed to be out of control. The most pressing, though, is Churchill Falls.

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, which operates the Churchill Falls Generating Station, released a statement late Wednesday saying it has mobilized its emergency response protocols in response to the evacuation order.

“At this time, we are focused on the safety of everyone from Churchill Falls,” the corporation said. “We have approximately 750 residents and contractors who have have to evacuate. … We are co-ordinating with the province, local officials, the Red Cross, the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay and other groups that have reached out to offer assistance.

“We have a small crew of essential personnel that will stay on site at the generating station as long as it is safe to do so. Evacuation plans are also in place for this team, if required.”

NTV News is covering the story and will have live, on-air updates throughout the day, including live reports in NTV Newsday at Noon, First Edition at 5:30 and The NTV Evening Newshour at 6.

Note: With files from CTV News.