New Brunswickers are urged to use caution in wooded areas due to the increased wildfire risk.
Wildfire science officer Danny Goddard said New Brunswick’s fire index is on the way up.
However, it is still far different from Nova Scotia, which restricted travel and activities in the woods earlier this week.
“Based on current conditions, such as humidity in the air and wind – or, in our case, lack of wind – we are in better shape than the rest of Canada,” Goodard said in a statement on Thursday.
“While humidity is lower than normal, the lack of wind is a good thing.”
However, winds are forecast to increase over the coming days, especially on Saturday.
Officials said if that happens and humidity does not rise, it could put the province in a more dangerous position.
Natural Resources Minister John Herron said residents need to be cautious about their activities in the woods over the coming days.
“This is for their own safety, as well as the safety of their communities and our firefighters,” said Herron.
A provincewide burn ban is currently in place, and wildfire conditions are updated on the Fire Watch website at 2 p.m. daily.
Wildfire continues to burn near Miramichi
Crews continued to battle an out-of-control wildfire in the Miramichi area on Thursday.
The fire broke out Wednesday afternoon near Oldfield Road and Route 8, just north of the city.
It was mapped as 35 hectares in size on Wednesday evening by the Department of Natural Resources.
But the department’s online dashboard showed an updated size of 22.5 hectares as of Thursday morning.
Social media videos on Wednesday showed water bombers working in the area.
There have been no reports of any injuries or any structures damaged by the fire.
The wildfire is one of the largest reported in the province so far this year.
