Fire burning as deep as four feet down in Long Lake, N.S.

Firefighters spray into the soil and roots of smouldering trees at Paradise Lake, N.S. (Province of Nova Scotia)

The wildfire in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis County is burning as far as four feet deep in some spots as crews continue their month-long battle with the blaze.

The Long Lake wildfire, which started on Aug. 13, is still being held at 8,468 hectares (or 84 square kilometres) as of Monday, according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

“Drought conditions continue, with the fire burning as deep as 4 feet in places,” a social media post from DNR reads. “Crews still working on persistent hot spots.”

Barricades are still in place around the wildfire, which has destroyed 20 homes. It was declared officially held on Sept. 8.

Available resources for Monday include:

• three helicopters
• four planes and a bird dog
• five pieces of heavy equipment
• five water tankers
• 20 Parks Canada firefighters
• eight DNR firefighters
• five P.E.I. firefighters
• support staff

DNR said there were no new reports of damage from the wildfire as of Sunday.

Going home

Over the weekend, all remaining evacuees from the Long Lake wildfire were allowed to return home, although all roads in the area remained closed to the public.

“The decision to allow people to go back to their homes is based on an assessment of current fire behaviour, air quality and road access by the Department of Natural Resources. The Department changed the status of the wildfire to being held on September 8. That means the fire is not likely to grow or move as long as conditions do not change,” a previous news release from the Nova Scotia government reads.

Woods ban

Last Thursday, the provincial government lifted the woods ban for all parts of Nova Scotia excluding Annapolis County. The ban started on Aug. 5 and restricted people from entering wooded areas over concerns with the ongoing dry conditions.

A provincewide burn ban, which started on July 30, is still in effect.

The fine for violating either ban is $25,000.

-With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Stephanie Tsicos

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page