A state of emergency was issued over the weekend in central Newfoundland, including Grand Falls-Windsor.

The precautionary move was made due to a number of large forest fires impacting the region.

Premier Andrew Furey said one of those fires is the largest they have seen since 1961, adding the blaze is being battled on many fronts.

“I want to stress also that, right now, the current predictive path of the blaze itself does not directly impact any communities,” Furey said in a video posted to social media on Saturday night.

“That said, the wind is changing and the pattern of smoke distribution will change significantly to impact communities such as Bishop’s Falls and the surrounding area and Grand Falls-Windsor and the surrounding area.”

Because of that, Furey said he asked the province’s public safety minister to declare a state of emergency.

Furey said residents in areas under a state of emergency should be on high alert for possible evacuations.

“This is a dynamic situation and we don’t want to create panic. That’s why we’re acting now in a controlled, responsible fashion,” he said.

The latest fire activity report issued Sunday evening showed one fire in the Paradise Lake area which is an estimated 6,614 hectares in size and another in the Bay d’Espoir Highway area which is 5,273 hectares in size.

Both blazes began on July 24 and are listed as out of control.

Four water bombers and one bird dog aircraft from Quebec are assisting. Ground crews have been removed from the fires due to safety concerns.

Please see below for an update on the forest fire situation in central Newfoundland and Labrador.https://t.co/s0zIYRE9B2

— Premier of NL (@PremierofNL) August 7, 2022