FREDERICTON — New Brunswick officials say they are cautiously optimistic as a wildfire burning in the province's southeast is responding to firefighting efforts.
A wildfire outside Moncton near Irishtown shrank to 0.45 square kilometres from about half a square kilometre on Monday — but is still considered out of control.
The other out-of-control wildfire, near Miramichi, N.B., has grown to about nearly 13.5 square kilometres overnight from about 11 square kilometres.
"It is a tale of two fires," Premier Susan Holt told reporters Wednesday.
"We are seeing promising results from the hard work of the firefighting teams on the fire in Irishtown. And while we have put dozens of people and air resources and others on the Miramichi fire that continues to grow."
The Irishtown wildfire is threatening as many as 900 structures, and about 1,500 people have been put on notice to evacuate if necessary. Overall, there are a total of 16 wildfires across the province.
People have been asked to stay out of Crown land while the risk of wildfires remains high. This means hiking, camping, fishing and the use of vehicles in the woods are not permitted, trails through woods have been closed, and camping is allowed only in campgrounds.
Rain is needed to help battle the fires, said Natural Resources Minister John Herron.
Environment Canada has a thunderstorm warning in effect for Miramichi, and a thunderstorm watch for other parts of the province for Thursday afternoon. There is rain forecast for some areas in the morning.
Potential lightning strikes, combined with ongoing conditions, present a high risk for additional fires, Herron said in a news release.
“While we welcome any rain we may see later today or tomorrow, we are concerned about the lightning that might come with it,” he said.
Earlier, Herron told reporters, about five millimetres of rain helps firefighters by giving them one day's time to battle the blaze, while 50 millimetres or more would help bring a wildfire under control.
"It's going to require that help from the skies ... when we have that window of opportunity, when things get dampened, we need to go at it."
Nick Brown, spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources, said there were 14 air tankers, three helicopters and 30 out-of-province firefighters — five each from P.E.I. and Maine, and 20 from Nova Scotia — helping local personnel tackle the wildfires.
Holt also asked people in New Brunswick to conserve water due to a lack of rain.
A precipitation anomaly map shared by the province earlier this week showed dry conditions were particularly pronounced in northeastern and southern New Brunswick, especially around Saint John.
"We are seeing significantly dry conditions. We know people have wells that they're worried about. There's streams and river beds that do not have the kind of water that we're used to here in New Brunswick," Holt said.
"It would be helpful if all New Brunswickers take steps to conserve water and maybe choose recreational activities that are new ... maybe try pickleball. Who knows."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2025.
The Canadian Press
