Wildfires continue to rage in central Newfoundland after another hot and dry weekend, but it’s not just about feeling the central burn.
Bell Island and the city of Wabana are down a fire truck after a busy weekend battling several fires throughout the city.
Mayor Gary Gosine says they received calls for about seven or eight different fires throughout Saturday and Sunday that resulted in a fire truck catching fire.
Gosine says while crews were at the scene, the fire got so hot that it engulfed the muffler and exhaust system and blew up the truck bomb.
The mayor says the RCMP and insurance have been reported, and they’re hoping to get things straightened out and a new truck bomb for the city. However, he is not sure how long it will take.
He says until they are replaced, they don’t have significant firefighting equipment, and the truck that burned was one that was used on wildfires and larger fires.
In a surprising twist, Gosine believes the Bell Island fires may not have been of natural causes.
He says he doesn’t think all the fires they had over the weekend were natural wildfires, and he blames some of the fires.
Gosine says people need to understand the damage a fire can do, and now they are without important equipment and safety for the people of Bell Island.