The Moncton Fire Department swiftly responded to a grass fire near the Petitcodiac River on Christmas Eve around 5 p.m. Platoon Chief Scott Brown reported that the fire scorched approximately 1.6 hectares of grassland along the riverfront. The fire’s location was amid the road and the riverbank towards Moncton, situated between the Gunningsville Bridge and the Honourable Brenda Robertson Bridge.
Chief Brown highlighted the challenging terrain, noting the frozen ground and intricate mud channels formed by water flow towards the river. In addition, the firefighters faced difficulty due to the tall grass, reaching nearly two meters in height, obstructing their visibility.
Efforts to extinguish the fire lasted about three hours, involving eight firefighters, a chief officer, and four trucks on-site. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries during the operation. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and Chief Brown confirmed that there is no ongoing investigation into the incident.