Huge wildfire in southwestern Nova Scotia ‘being held’ after burning for 11 days

The record-breaking wildfire in southwestern Nova Scotia that started 11 days ago near Barrington Lake is no longer moving, emergency officials said Wednesday.

The province’s Natural Resources Department issued a statement saying the fire, which grew to be the province’s largest on record, was “being held” and was not expected to move if cool and wet conditions persist.

At its peak, the fire covered about 230 square kilometres in Shelburne County, the department said, reducing a previous calculation. The statement said a recent aerial survey produced a more accurate picture.

The wildfire, which started May 27, destroyed about 60 homes and cottages and another 150 structures, but it has not moved since Saturday. About 6,700 people were evacuated from their homes, which is about half of the county’s population.

On Wednesday, fire crews continued to extinguish hot spots even though the area had been soaked by about 100 millimetres of rain since last Friday, which is about the total monthly rainfall for the region.

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On the ground, the fire was being held back by 130 firefighters from the department and 40 volunteer and municipal firefighters.

Earlier this week, a six-member recovery team from Alberta arrived in Shelburne County to help provincial assessors inspect destroyed and damaged properties and infrastructure. The team was called in because it has extensive experience with much larger wildfires in Alberta.

Meanwhile, those in Shelburne County under evacuation orders were asked Wednesday to contact the municipality to book an appointment during which they can learn more about the status of their properties.

Dave Rockwood, a spokesman for the province’s Natural Resources Department, has said the recent rains weren’t enough to soak through the ground and extinguish covered embers.

“I’m not confident it’s penetrating to cool everything down in the ground,” he told a briefing Tuesday.

In suburban Halifax, a separate wildfire that started May 28 was largely contained on Saturday. It destroyed 150 homes and forced about 16,000 to flee the area northwest of downtown. About 4,000 people were waiting to return to their Halifax-area homes on Wednesday.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2023.