Kingston fire. (Photo courtesy Eugene Howell)
The Department of Fisheries, Forestry, and Agriculture is reassuring residents of Conception Bay North that every possible effort is being made to fight the aggressive Kingston wildfire.
Evacuated residents are frustrated, not knowing whether their homes are destroyed or not, and are questioning the resources dedicated to the fire that has relentlessly burned its way northward over the last two weeks.
Officials say the fire continues to grow, and they understand the fear and uncertainty facing communities in its path. In a release issued Thursday evening, government says crews are working daily both in the air and on the ground, with incident management teams meeting each night to plan the next day’s attack based on surveillance and fire behaviour forecasts.
Today’s plan to have water bombers and a heavy-capacity helicopter focus on the Kingston fire in the afternoon was disrupted by low visibility. By evening, two water bombers and the high capacity helicopter were on the Kingston fire with two more aircraft stabilizing the Paddy’s Pond fire.
The province says three water bombers, four helicopters, the S61 heavy-capacity helicopter, 30 provincial ground crew, were on the Kingston fire today, with 80 military firefighters helping local volunteer firefighters.
A heavy aerial attack on the Kingston fire is planned for tomorrow.
📢 A Statement from the Department of Fisheries, Forestry, and Agriculture on ongoing efforts to fight the Kingston wildfire
The Department of Fisheries, Forestry, and Agriculture is working tirelessly to combat the aggressive Kingston wildfire. We understand the fear and… pic.twitter.com/Ceu5kx10mt
— Government of Newfoundland & Labrador (@GovNL) August 14, 2025