By Monday evening, a wall of fire in the Thomas Pond area had swelled to 200 hectares, its advance so swift that parts of Conception Bay South (C.B.S.) and Paradise — a short drive from downtown St. John’s — were placed under an evacuation alert.
The warning was passed bluntly: anyone on the south side of Topsail Road, from the Outer Ring Road exit to the C.B.S. boundary, and residents east of Manuels River, should be ready to leave without hesitation. Between 13,000 and 15,000 people now fall under that order.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police moved quickly to seal off part of the Trans-Canada Highway, closing the stretch between the Pitts Memorial Drive cloverleaf and the Foxtrap Access Road just after 8:30 p.m., as flames crept toward infrastructure and smoke thickened in the evening air.
Premier John Hogan told residents that if the order comes, the two schools in Kelligrews, C.B.S., are ready to receive evacuees.
“Throughout the rest of the evening, and potentially overnight, everyone in this area must be prepared to receive an evacuation order on a moment’s notice,” Hogan said during a televised briefing — one delivered just hours after a separate evacuation was issued for the Paddy’s Pond industrial area.
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That earlier directive targeted businesses including Akita Equipment, as the fire first broke out along a pole line near Paddy’s Pond, between the Trans-Canada Highway and Fowler’s Road, around noon Monday.
The Thomas Pond blaze is not the province’s only crisis. Multiple wildfires are burning unchecked across Newfoundland and Labrador, and Hogan urged all residents — not only those near the flames — to have an emergency bag within reach.
“Any emergency can arise at any time — whether it’s fires, storms, or even a fire in your own home, or your neighbour’s home,” he said. “It’s safe practice to make sure everybody is ready for any emergency situation.”
Police, fire, and emergency crews remain on site. In a message posted to social media Monday afternoon, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary urged the public to keep clear of the danger zone “while emergency responders navigate response and suppression efforts.”