A forest fire raged over the weekend near the community of Seal Cove, Fortune Bay.
The blaze reportedly started mid-morning Friday and was still burning as of 6 p.m. Sunday.
It was contained to an area about one kilometre from the small community, in an area where there are no cabins or homes.
Local firefighters and fire-suppression staff with the Department of Natural Resources were on the scene and two water bombers and one helicopter were also brought
in.
The helicopter had been on its own for part of Saturday, as weather conditions kept the bombers from taking off from Gander. However, conditions cleared enough in the afternoon for the planes to depart.
According to the Department of Natural Resources the fire was brought under control early Sunday, but firefighters in the area kept working to extinguish it.
It was a scary experience for everyone in the community, said part-time resident Sue Kelland-Dyer.
The fact the fire was on hills around the area’s homes made it all the more menacing, said Kelland-Dyer.
“The feeling of the community people that I spoke with — they were pretty afraid. It’s been a very nervous time here. People have spent all night up. I know last night ... some of the local people and the fire brigade spent overnight watching the hills to make sure it didn’t come back towards the town,” she said.
“No picture really describes it.”
There was no word on what might have started the fire.
cmaclean@thetelegram.com
Twitter: @TelegramMacLean
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