The Provincial Government and emergency partners have been working together to respond to the need for the transportation of both residents and goods in the area affected by the closure and limited re-opening of the Bay d’Espoir Highway (Route 360), resulting from the wildfire near Martin Lake.
Information on the limited re-opening of Bay d’Espoir Highway (Route 360) effective Saturday, August 16, 2025, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., can be found here.
Ferry Service
The MV Sound of Islay will be providing an additional passenger/vehicle ferry service between the towns of Hermitage-Sandyville and Fortune for residents impacted by the closure of Route 360. The first run was 10:00 a.m. today and will run daily. Anyone requiring priority boarding is asked to send their request to NLPEOC@gov.nl.ca.
The MV Marine Trader will continue to provide passenger service only. Passenger capacity has temporarily been increased to 40 passengers on this vessel. The schedule is as follows:
| Departing Rencontre East | Departing Pool’s Cove | Departing Bay L’Argent |
| 7:00 a.m. – for Pool’s Cove | 8:30 a.m. – for Rencontre East | 12:00 p.m. – for Rencontre East |
| 10:00 a.m. – for Bay L’Argent | 3:30 p.m. – for Rencontre East (only if there are passengers for Rencontre East – otherwise direct to Bay L’Argent) | 7:00 p.m. – for Rencontre East |
| 2:00 p.m. – for Pool’s Cove | ||
| 5:00 p.m. – for Bay L’Argent |
Delivery of Essential Goods
The Provincial Government is collaborating with the Canadian Coast Guard and the Canadian Armed Forces in its effort to get essential goods into the impacted area. Both water and air assets assigned by the Canadian Coast Guard and the Canadian Armed Forces will be utilized to facilitate the movement of these goods, additionally, these assets will also be used to provide transportation of people impacted by the road closure.
The latest information on the location, status, and size of active wildfires is available on the NL Active Wildfire Dashboard and for information on highway conditions, visit 511nl.ca.
For the most up-to-date information, please visit www.gov.nl.ca/alerts and follow the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador on Facebook and on X.
To report a wildfire, call: 1-866-709-FIRE (3473) or 911.
-30-