Some Long Lake wildfire evacuees in N.S. will be allowed to return home

Some evacuees from the Long Lake wildfire in Nova Scotia will be able to return to their homes.

Some residents who had to evacuate their homes due to a wildfire in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis County will be allowed to return home Wednesday.

Dustin Enslow, deputy warden of the County of Annapolis, says the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has done a thorough assessment of the evacuation zones near the Long Lake wildfire in West Dalhousie, N.S., and determined it’s safe for some residents to return to the area.

“The fire crews and the leadership has been working extremely hard to make this event happen and we’re very fortunate that it can happen the day before school so it can help with some of the routine and the stress with that,” said Enslow during a media briefing Tuesday afternoon.

The province says people at about 360 civic addresses will be allowed to return, leaving 131 civic addresses remaining under the evacuation order.

Wednesday’s re-entry will be staggered:

• roads around Trout Lake beginning at 9 a.m.
• roads around Zwickers Lake and East Lake at 11 a.m.
• West Dalhousie Road from Highway 10 to Che-Boag-A-Nish Road and Che-Boag-A-Nish Road (Connell Lake) at 1 p.m.

There will be checkpoints in place on Crisp and West Dalhousie roads and all evacuees must enter through those checkpoints.

Highway 10 will reopen to the general public at 4 p.m.

Residents must provide a piece of ID that proves their civic address, while seasonal property owners can show a bill that includes that address.

While it’s been deemed safe to return, Enslow stresses residents are returning to an “active forest fire situation,” and says they should be ready to leave their homes again if conditions change. He also says they should check their home for damage before re-entering.

“We have to ensure safety at all times, so we want to remind citizens when they’re going back that they need to continue to drive with caution as we’re still going to have fire crews and first responders within that area and the air quality may be worse,” said Enslow.

“Just because you are returning home does not mean that we’re completely out of the woods yet, so we still ask for people to have their 72-hour kits in case at any time that we have to evacuate this area again.”

The following areas remain under evacuation orders:

• the section of West Dalhousie Road from Che-Boag-A-Nish Road to Meadow Road
• all of Heartland Road, Thorne Road and Medicraft Lane
• Morse Road remains closed from Neaves Road to West Dalhousie Road

Still out of control

DNR says crews battling the Long Lake wildfire “made good ground” over the weekend, but the fire is still out of control.

“Dozer guard and lines of hose/pumps are complete along the northern end of fire, tying in that section,” said DNR in a post on X Tuesday afternoon.

“South end of the fire is the most active and facing drying conditions this week.”

The wildfire is believed to be about 8,468 hectares -- or more than 84 square kilometres -- based on a new size estimate.

There are no new reports of damage from the wildfire. Last week the province confirmed 20 homes had been destroyed and 11 outbuildings had also been damaged or destroyed.

The fire forced the evacuation of 505 civic addresses in Annapolis County since it first started burning on Aug. 13. The County of Annapolis has launched a navigator program to help impacted property owners and evacuees access supports.

Resources

DNR says the following resources are battling the wildfire on Tuesday:

• 10 contract helicopters
• four planes and a bird dog
• four DNR firefighters
• 61 Ontario firefighters
• 40 Quebec firefighters
• 45 local firefighters
• 50 pieces of heavy machinery

Woods ban lifted

The province lifted its woods ban in the following counties on Friday, saying the wildfire risk has lowered in those areas:

• Cape Breton
• Richmond
• Victoria
• Inverness
• Guysborough
• Antigonish
• Halifax

The ban remains in effect in the following counties:

• Pictou
• Colchester
• Cumberland
• Hants
• Lunenburg
• Kings
• Annapolis
• Queens
• Shelburne
• Digby
• Yarmouth

The Nova Scotia government says the ban will remain in place in those areas until Oct. 15 or until conditions have improved enough for them to be lifted.

Nova Scotia first introduced a ban on entering the woods on Aug. 5.

A burn ban, which started on July 30, is still in effect across the province.

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

Air quality warning

An air quality warning remains in effect for Annapolis County.

Environment Canada warns smoke from the wildfire will “significantly reduce local air quality downwind,” though smoke conditions may vary as wind and fire behaviour changes.

“You may experience mild and common symptoms such as eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches or a mild cough,” said Environment Canada.

“More serious but less common symptoms include wheezing, chest pains or severe cough. If you think you are having a medical emergency, seek immediate medical assistance.”

Residents are urged to keep their doors and windows shut and limit their time spent outdoors.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page