Water bomber crews have joined firefighters on Miscou Island, N.B., as crews work to contain an out-of-control wildfire.
The forest fire broke out on the eastern part of the smalli sland Saturday afternoon.
It has now burned through 80 hectares of forest on Wilson Point, destroying an entire road. Wilson Point has been closed off to traffic since Saturday evening.
Twenty-five homes have been evacuated and residents are being told they still can’t go home.
"I'm worried about my mom’s house of course, that's where I grew up,” says Lynn Power.
Powers’s mother, sister,and brother are among the evacuees.
She says her mother has lived there for 58 years and had just minutes to get out of her home.
"She's just worried and anxious to know what's going to happen, when can she go back home,” says Powers. “They were advised yesterday around six o'clock they had 10 minutes to take things and just leave. She left with no medication, no extra clothes, thinking that she could probably go back today but we're still waiting and we haven't heard anything yet."
The Department of Energy and Resource Development says the order is about protecting the homes and keeping people safe. Spokesperson Roland Roy says the safety of homeowners and residents is their top priority.
“These things can go on for weeks. Hopefully we can let the people in sooner than that,but until we're sure that no lives will be in danger that's the only time we'll let them in,” says Roy.
He says the forest on the island was heavily damaged by last winter’sice storm, causing many trees and branches to dry out.
Officials believe the fire started near a shed, but say the cause is not known. No homes have been damaged.
The entire province of New Brunswick is currently under a burning ban, and there are five other forest fires burning in the province Sunday.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Laura Brown.
