Newfoundland wildfire evacuees face loss and uncertainty as flames destroy homes across province

When her neighbours came knocking at her door last Monday afternoon telling her to evacuate, Barbara Watson was calm. Too calm. From her church-conversion house in Small Point-Adam’s Cove-Blackhead-Broad Cove, N.L., she could see smoke in the distance, yes, but assumed it was a little fire in the woods that would be easy to extinguish.

She grabbed her small cross-body bag, some freshly washed laundry and her asthma inhaler and headed to a friend’s place in Western Bay, a 10-minute drive away, assuming the evacuation order would be lifted in a day or two.