Forestry officials are encouraging residents in the Labrador West region to be vigilant as recent prolonged dry conditions and high temperatures have resulted in an elevated wildfire risk. The Fire Weather Index (FWI) forecast is HIGH for parts of Labrador today.

There are currently two active wildfires in the Labrador West region. One fire is burning in the Menihek Dam area, 160 kilometres north of Labrador City at a location near the Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro Menihek Hydroelectric Generation Station, and is estimated to be about 950 hectares in size. This fire is currently impacting railroad travel that runs through Labrador West and into Schefferville, Quebec. Waterbombers and helicopters are continuing to action this fire today.

The second wildfire is burning in a remote area near Milner Lake West and is estimated to be 5,900 hectares in size. This fire does not pose a threat to people or property and forestry officials continue to monitor.

The public are encouraged to view real-time active wildfire information, including maps identifying the location of fires, on the new online NL Active Wildfire Dashboard.

There are currently three waterbombers based in Labrador, two at Happy Valley-Goose Bay and one in Wabush, and one waterbomber located in Deer Lake. Waterbombers are regularly repositioned in response to the forecasted wildfire risk.