Forest fire burning north of Sheet Harbour, N.S. now contained

A forest fire burning north of Sheet Harbour, N.S., on Tuesday has now been controlled and contained.

Firefighters were called to 2340 Highway 374 in Lochaber Mines at about 3 p.m., according to Halifax municipal government spokesperson Brendan Elliott.

Dave Steeves, a forest resources technician for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), said the fire is about four hectares in size and located in Malay Falls.

Speaking to Global News on a cell phone in the community, he described the fire as “extremely aggressive and made for very dangerous conditions.”

At its peak, there were 70 DNR and 33 Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency members involved. Two DNR helicopters were also used to douse the fire.

Crews will be returning early Wednesday morning to start the mop-up phase, which entails getting rid of potential embers in the area.

Due to the topography of the area, Steeves, referencing a fire from last month, said he expects the phase to be “a very long process again.”

No injuries were reported and no roads were closed. The fire was contained by 9 p.m.

An investigation into the fire, which is only on provincial land, is planned.

“The shape of the fire is kind of long and skinny, so basically what that does is it tells us very clearly that topography and wind were what was really pushing along this fire,” said Steeves.

Because the area is not close to residential areas, no evacuations are expected nor are there are any homes in jeopardy.