The chance of fires as intense as the ones being battled in Fort McMurray, Alta., are low, according to a couple of Maritime fire departments, but the Nova Scotia government says it’s prepared for mass evacuations.
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Don McCabe, deputy chief of operations for the Moncton Fire Department, said under the same conditions being faced in Alberta, a major forest fire is possible.
It’s a worry being shared in municipalities across Canada, he added: “They’re all growing, and they’re getting bigger, and they’re encroaching on the wild land areas. So we call it a rural-urban interface, and Moncton has a large rural-urban interface. So, yeah, we’re all concerned about that interface.”
Nova Scotia, like New Brunswick, has significant forestland.
“Something to the extent of what’s happening in Fort McMurray, that’s rare. Fortunately, it is rare. We’ll get large ones, but unlikely to that extent,” said Roy Hollett, deputy chief of Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency.
While the provincial government handles much of the preventative measures, the departments can add to them.
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“The province can say no burning after 2 p.m., however, if conditions within the municipality dictate, and we have a concern, we can actually put into place no burning at all,” said Hollett in Dartmouth.
Mason added that the public has to do its part, too; namely, making sure an emergency kit is available in homes at all times.
“The key message is have whatever you and your family will need in order to maintain yourselves for 72 hours,” he said.
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