The Long Lake wildfires complex in Nova Scotia continues to grow at a rapid pace and has now eaten up more 3,000 hectares of forest, according to Premier Tim Houston.
That number had jumped by around a thousand hectares more than what the province had reported on Sunday night.
“So, unfortunately, the weather this weekend was not in our favour,” Houston told reporters on Monday afternoon. “The dry conditions continued, the heat continued, the wind was blowing the wrong way. All terrible news when you’re when you are facing a fire.”
The massive fire has destroyed some campers and trailers but has not savaged any homes yet, according to provincial officials.
“We’re doing whatever we can to protect structures that are in the path of fire and protect people and property,” Houston said.
A Facebook post from the province said that 77 Department of Natural Resources firefighters are working alongside 22 from Ontario and five from P.E.I. to battle the blaze.
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They say that they are giving local firefighters a break from their battles with the wildfire which has been raging on since last week.
The province says there are multiple fires burning throughout Nova Scotia including one near Simonds Lake in Digby County which is estimated to be at 1.75 hectares in size.
“That fire is still at 1.75 hectares,” said Scott Tingley, manager of forest protection with Nova Scotia’s Natural Resources Department Monday afternoon.
“It started last evening. And from what we understand, it started as a structure fire and then spread into the woods.
“They don’t expect it to grow but it is burning deep and hot and so it is going to require a sustained effort by ground crews to fully extinguish here for a couple days.”
Large swaths of Atlantic Canada have been reeling under drought-like conditions and sweltering heat.
The Long Lake wildfires are burning about 135 kilometres northwest of Halifax, and officials declared a state of emergency in Annapolis County on Saturday. It has forced the evacuation of about 100 homes in the heavily wooded West Dalhousie area, about 125 kilometres west of Halifax.
Officials said they were also keeping a watch on Erin, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2025. The storm wasn’t expected to directly impact the U.S. East Coast, but by doubling or tripling in size it could bring rip currents all along the coast.
“That’s a scary thought,” Rudderham said. “We certainly have our meteorologists and our fire behaviour people watching very closely on anything that could happen with anomalies and weather. We’ll continue to watch that and make plans accordingly.”
*With files from The Canadian Press
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