More people evacuated as wildfire intensifies in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley

A water skimmer from the Northwest Territories flies over the evacuation area where firefighters are battling the Long Lake wildfire in Nova Scotia's Annapolis County, outside the community of West Dalhousie, N.S., on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Some who call Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley home are keeping a close eye on an out-of-control wildfire to see if an evacuation order will be expanded in the area.

The province’s Department of Emergency Management asked people on Sunday night living along a portion of Highway 10 in the West Dalhousie area to leave their homes as the Long Lake wildfire roared nearby.

It wasn’t the first time area fire officials had asked people to evacuate on Sunday, as an alert was issued earlier in the day calling on people living on parts of Morse Road and Thorne Road to flee.

The wildfire was estimated to be around 32 square kilometres earlier on Sunday, though officials said later in the day that the blaze had grown.

Smoke from the Long Lake wildfire has led to an air quality warning being issued in Annapolis County, with Environment Canada saying air quality is significantly reduced.

There are currently three wildfires burning in Nova Scotia, with the Long Lake wildfire being the only blaze that’s classified as out-of-control.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2025.

The Canadian Press