Brush fire under control east of Halifax, evacuation order lifted

HALIFAX – A large brush fire that prompted the evacuation of about 200 homes east of Halifax was contained by firefighters late Thursday.

No damage or injuries were reported, and residents were allowed to return to their homes in East Lawrencetown before 9 p.m.

Deputy fire Chief Roy Hollett said the fire burned out of control for several hours, having been whipped up by strong winds.

As well, the fire fed off of large swaths of dead grass left over from a long winter.

At one point, the flames stopped spreading when they reached a fire break, but powerful gusts pushed the fire past the clear-cut strip of land.

Below is an image of the area that was evacuated earlier in the day:

View image in full screen

In all, about 14 hectares of brush were consumed by the fire, which started in the Mineville area along Shoreline Drive near Candy Mountain Road.

Hollett said as the winds died down after 7 p.m., the flames were subdued by about 80 firefighters on the ground and two helicopters carrying buckets of water.

Firefighters and the Department of Natural Resources planned to monitor the area about 20 kilometres east of Halifax throughout the night.

An investigation will attempt to determine what caused the fire.

Meanwhile, Hollett said the fire chief for the region has imposed a ban on all open fires.

“With the temperatures already and the humidity in the air, unfortunately it’s good conditions for a fire to start,” he said in an interview from the scene. “We taking a proactive move.”

In June 2008, a three-day fire in the same area razed 1,900 hectares of forest, forcing the evacuation of 400 homes. At least two homes were destroyed and about a dozen others were damaged.