Cole Harbour wildfire ‘under control,’ mandatory evacuation order lifted

Officials say a forest fire in Cole Harbour in the Bissett Lake area is now under control and a mandatory evacuation order affecting about a dozen homes has been lifted.

Halifax Fire announced the end of the evacuation order for homes on Astral Drive on Twitter just after 1 p.m.

The Department of Natural Resources says 90 to 100 per cent of the fire is contained.

Earlier in the day on Monday, officials said crews were dealing with several flare ups.

Halifax Fire Deputy Chief Roy Hollett told media GPS showed about 27 hectares of burnt brush and that flames reached within 300 metres of houses on Astral Drive.

An update from Halifax Fire on Monday afternoon said the Department of Natural Resources has calculated the burn area of forest land to be 11 hectares (27 acres) in size.

It’s unclear at this point what started the blaze.

“I’m comfortable saying it’s not weather related, so it’s related to people,” said Hollett. “Either accidental. That’s what we need to figure out.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I'm comfortable saying it's not weather related, so it's related to people," said Hollett. "Either accidental. That's what we need to figure out."

READ MORE: Crews battle large forest fire near Salt Marsh Trail in Cole Harbour, N.S.

About 10 to 15 homes on Astral Drive were under the evacuation order and Hollett stressed that order was mandatory.

“We just want to keep the area safe for residents and our crews so they can move around freely and not worry about residents being there,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We just want to keep the area safe for residents and our crews so they can move around freely and not worry about residents being there," he said.

Halifax Fire allowed escorted visits earlier in the day to the evacuated homes on Astral Drive so residents could get essential items.

A comfort centre at Cole Harbour Place, which opened up on Sunday night when the evacuations began, remained open for displaced residents on Monday morning. Evacuations on Sunday night were on a voluntary basis and affected about 100 homes on Astral Drive and Beaver Crescent.

Residents on Beaver Crescent were allowed back into their homes around 9 p.m. on Sunday but were told they may need to leave again “at a moment’s notice.”

During a media briefing on Monday morning, Hollett said fires will typically become dormant overnight but flare ups will return in the day.

“The weather is cooperating in that winds have died down but if the winds start to increase and the temperatures stay the same, then that’s something we have to look at it,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The weather is cooperating in that winds have died down but if the winds start to increase and the temperatures stay the same, then that's something we have to look at it," he said.

WATCH: Large forest fire forces evacuation in Cole Harbour

1:48 Large forest fire forces evacuation in Cole Harbour

On Sunday night, Environment Canada issued a special air quality statement, saying residents downwind of the fire may experience smoke and elevated pollution.

Hollett says they are reassessing the fire on an hourly basis and will provide updates throughout the day.

He’s asking the public to avoid the area.

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