Fires in Happy Valley-Goose Bay under control with no current risk of explosion
Firefighters battled a blaze at a former airport hangar in Happy Valley-Goose Bay overnight Friday. In a statement released Saturday morning, the RCMP says the fire is now under control. (Submitted by RCMP)
A statement released Saturday morning from Happy Valley-Goose Bay RCMP says the fires in the town and on the Canadian Forces Base are now under control and there is no risk of explosion.
As well, Mayor George Andrews announced that the state of emergency has been lifted and evacuated residents are now permitted to return to their homes.
"We implore the general public to remain away from the area as we have firefighters and other first responders at the scene in the coming hours and days," Andrews said.
"And we just ask the public not to engage in any activity up around the Canadian side," he said, referring to the North side of the community.
The police say firefighters battled the blaze, which caused extensive damage to a number of commercial structures, throughout the night. No one was injured.
A fire broke out in a former airport hangar in Happy Valley-Goose Bay late Friday, which sparked a number of explosions as well as an evacuation and an official state of emergency.
Andrews says the fire department was assisted by a number of groups, including the military.
"Early this morning our firefighters stood down a little," Andrews told CBC News on Saturday. "We have a crew here who are battling some hotspots."
"This looks to me to be a predominantly clean up site," Andrews said, regarding the damage caused by the fire. "Now, we will be probably on-site here for a number of days because of just the sheer heat and things within that old hangar. If you can imagine, this is a huge old military aircraft hangar."
"The fire started in a couple of buildings that were on the back of an old hangar that sits at the airfield on the north side," said Andrews. "It caused the hangar that was next door to be engulfed... That hangar is not there anymore."
Andrews said it's too early to determine what caused the fire.
"This was a huge, huge effort on behalf of all our emergency services which were engaged and our crews fought very hot, very uncomfortable conditions through the night," he said.
Coming home
Sitting on a couch with her hands wrapped around a red mug, Monica Legge said she was glad to be back home and that it was alright, adding she was worried about the windows.
"I know you were. I was stressed out with you," said her husband Keith Legge, sitting next to her.
Married couple Monica and Keith Legge had to evacuate their home because of Friday night's fire but have since been able to return home. (Rhivu Rashid/CBC)
Monica said she was also grateful that other people's homes in the area were still intact.
"It's very, very sad about that building," she told CBC News. "And the saddest part is that the owner of that building passed away."
She said Ian Strachan passed away months ago and his memorial service was taking place on Saturday.
Keith said the fire that ripped through the warehouse destroyed equipment which had been stored there.
"People had motorhomes and boats and snowmobiles parked there. That's all gone," said Monica.
Keith said the building was a landmark and that his father worked there many years ago.
"There's a lot of people that passed through that airport coming in that came to Goose Bay," she said, with Keith Legge adding "A lot of history, all gone."
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