Goobie warns campfires along trails a no no

By Craig Westcott/June 9, 2022

The intention may be to enjoy some innocent fun, but Holyrood Mayor Gary Goobie is warning users of the Murray’s Peak and George Cove Mountain trails not to light campfires during their hikes.

Goobie brought the matter to the rest of council’s, and the public’s, attention last week during his regular Mayor’s Update.

The mayor said he was recently approached by a Holyrood resident who told him there have been numerous discoveries of campfires having been lit in those two areas.

“While the intention here is innocent – after a long walk, especially up Murray’s Peak, to have a nice little cook up or a boil up or whatever – unfortunately we have to discourage this due to the dry conditions, which pose a serious fire risk,” said Goobie, who happens to be a professional firefighter.

Earlier this spring, there were a couple of serious grass and brush fires in other parts of Conception Bay Centre.

“We all know that we never had much snow over the winter, there’s not much runoff, everything is dry, so unfortunately we have to discourage this completely,” Goobie said, “because there have been multiple campfires discovered at both locations. To my knowledge, there’s no source of water there to extinguish these campfires, and while it may look to be out, it may not. These fires have a tendency to burn down in the ground and they can burn for an extended period of time. So, if they are left unattended and they get windy conditions, you could have a serious incident happening there, and we certainly don’t want that.”