Wildfire burns 15 hectares, winds blow smoke in Nova Scotia’s Yarmouth County

ARGYLE, N.S. – Fire crews battled a wildfire in Nova Scotia’s Yarmouth County Friday that led to intermittent closures of a major highway.

The Department of Lands and Forestry said it determined human activity was to blame for the blaze, but it did not provide details.

Twelve department crew members along with volunteer firefighters were battling the 15-hectare fire along Highway 103 in the municipality of Argyle.

The public is being asked to avoid the area because of smoke.

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Earlier in the day, air tankers from New Brunswick assisted suppression efforts with a water drop.

Officials said the few homes in the area are not at risk.

They said another fire that had been burning earlier in West Pubnico, N.S., had been contained.

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Crews were also working on at least three other smaller fires in the province as dry conditions prompted a no-burning advisory for mainland Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia has an average of 225 wildfires each season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2020.