UPDATED: Evacuations possible due to wildfire near Moncton

Residents living in several communities north of Moncton should be ready to evacuate on short notice.

Firefighters are battling an out-of-control wildfire which started near MacArthur Lane in Irishtown on Saturday afternoon.

According to the province’s Public Fires Dashboard, the fire is estimated at around 30 hectares in size.

New Brunswick EMO said residents in the Irishtown, Tankville, Evangeline and Lakeville areas should be prepared to evacuate if needed.

The City of Moncton also shut down Irishtown Nature Park until further notice due to the ongoing fire operations.

The Department of Natural Resources said Sunday evening that four air tankers and two skimmers are currently on site.

RCMP are on scene and telling people to stay away so emergency crews can continue doing their work.

“The wildfire situation continues to be severe and unprecedented,” Natural Resources Minister John Herron said in a statement Sunday evening.

“To ensure the safety of New Brunswickers and our province, we are pro-actively reaching out Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) to request additional firefighting personnel to support our fire crews on the ground and back at our central operations centre.

“We’ve always been a good partner to other provinces and territories and even to other countries when they needed it, that is why we are asking for their assistance.”

Miramichi-area fire causes some evacuations

A fire north of Miramichi had reached an estimated 340 hectares earlier Sunday, up by 100 hectares since Saturday.

A home and three cottages were evacuated Saturday night, according to DNR, and 15 more homes have been notified of a possible evacuation.

The fire has jumped Route 8 and burned about 20 hectares, according to fire officials.

Meanwhile, a five-hectare fire burning near Canterbury had been contained as of Sunday evening.

Nine other fires throughout the province are being patrolled — the last step before being considered out.

All of New Brunswick remains under a burn ban. Activities in the woods are not allowed on Crown lands.

In Saint John, all walking and biking trails at Rockwood Park, Tucker Park and Little River Reservoir will be closing effective at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, August 11.