The town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, declared a state of emergency after fires started in the northern portion of the town.

Flames engulfed the air traffic control tower at an Air Force base.

Officials said the uncontrolled fire was burning near explosive materials.

“Emergency officials are on the scene and have reported that the fire started at an airport control tower and has spread to an area containing explosive materials, increasing the risk of an explosion. Law enforcement is urging residents to evacuate to a safe distance of at least a mile from the affected area while firefighting efforts are underway. For public safety, homeowners are strongly advised against returning to their properties at this time,” Rawsalerts wrote.

“Footage and photos depict the fire fully consuming an air traffic control tower as it spreads near explosive materials, with reports of an imminent explosion expected, alongside several previously reported explosions from the fire in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Canada,” an update read.

“Emergency services are on the scene of a large structure fire,” a provincial emergency alert said Friday, according to CBC.

“There have been several explosions,” it added.

Per CBC:

There are no reports of injuries from the fire that broke out on Friday evening at the north end of Happy Valley-Goose Bay near abandoned buildings at the former airport.

Residents are being asked to remain at least a kilometre away from the area that extends from the end of the airport to the docks, as fire crews work to extinguish the blaze.

“We are dealing with a fire emergency situation in our community,” Mayor George Andrews said in a video posted to the town’s Facebook page.

Andrews said several buildings have been affected by the fire. He urged residents on the north side to immediately evacuate but added there is no need for concern for residents in the Spruce Park area of town.

WATCH:

“Happy Valley-Goose Bay Fires Under Control, State of Emergency Ended,” VOCM News said Saturday morning.

VOCM News reports:

The state of emergency initiated for the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay has been lifted.

Mayor George Andrews made the pronouncement in a Meta/Facebook live post shortly before 9:30 a.m. local time.

It comes after several fires consumed multiple structures in the town Friday night into Saturday morning.

The first calls around the initial fire came in shortly after 7 p.m. with multiple blasts reported as it spread to commercial buildings containing explosive materials.

Andrews said the fact that pieces of warped metal were found hundreds of feet from the fires demonstrated how important it was to evacuate the area and issue the state of emergency.

Those who live on the north side, also known as the Canadian side of the base, can now return to their homes. However, the general public is asked to stay away from the area until further notice.

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