Meteorologist says conditions for the fires were laid over the winter, when low levels of snow and rain left the land drier than normal

Thousands of people in Newfoundland and Labrador’s capital and elsewhere in the province are under evacuation alerts as wildfires continue to threaten communities. About 5,400 residents in two areas of St. John’s were told on Tuesday to be ready to leave their homes at a moment’s notice.

Five out-of-control fires burn in the province, which prompted a ban on all-terrain vehicles on forested roads