The combination of warm temperatures, low relative humidity, and wind gusts in excess of 50 km/h, combined with dry fuel (grass, etc) will make conditions in Labrador West nearly ideal for the uncontrolled spreading of fires if one were to be ignited.

According to Natural Resources Canada, the fire risk today is in the ‘Extreme’ category. Meaning if a fire does start, it will be a fast-spreading, high-intensity crown fire. The fire would be very difficult to control. Suppression actions are limited to flanks, with only indirect actions possible against the fire’s head. According to MHA Jordan Brown, a Fire Ban is now in effect for Labrador West due to the primed conditions.

Please exercise extreme caution today in parts of Labrador under the high fire danger. Something as small as a cigarette butte can ignite a raging forest fire. On top of that, there are no thunderstorms in the forecast for today, so any fires that start would more than likely have been ignited by someone or something man-made.