Nova Scotia’s Long Lake wildfire grows to more than 3,200 hectares

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N.S. wildfire grows to 3,000 hectares

CTV National News: Stress among wildfire evacuees continues to rise

West Dalhousie, N.S., wildfire nearly doubles in size overnight prompting state of emergency

The out-of-control wildfire in the West Dalhousie, N.S., area has grown to more than 3,200 hectares.

There have been no reports of damage to homes at this time, but a few campers and trailers have been lost.

Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says the fire, which was last reported at 2,063 hectares, is now 3,210 hectares.

“Change in size is due to crews being able to get a more precise GPS measurement while there was less smoke this morning,” DNR said in a post on X.

The current air resources include four planes from the Northwest Territories, one contracted helicopter and an air tanker group coming from New Brunswick.

Three helicopters from Saskatchewan are also en route to Nova Scotia to help.

On the ground are 93 DNR crew members, 22 firefighters from Ontario, five from Prince Edward Island and 49 local firefighters.

“The weather this weekend was not in our favour,” said Premier Tim Houston during a news conference on Monday. “The wind was blowing the wrong way.”

The firefighters are working to save homes and sprinklers are also being used.

The department said in an update Sunday night the fire has advanced past Godfrey Lake to the intersection of Fairns and West Dalhousie roads on one side and to the south side of Spectacle Lakes on the other side.

The department previously said the wind had shifted on Sunday, causing the fire to move toward the West Dalhousie Road area

Officials believe the wildfire, which began burning last Wednesday, was caused by a lightning strike.

‘An emotional rollercoaster’

Sindy and Dion Schofield’s home is on West Dalhousie Road and the fire was about five kilometers away from it when they got an evacuation notice Thursday morning.

“It felt fairly safe, we thought we’d be back in a day or two, but the wind changed and it went the wrong way,” Sindy said.

Since then, they have been staying in a family camper in Berwick with their cat. They also packed up their chickens, which are staying with their neighbour’s family in Bridgetown.

They say the experience has been an “emotional rollercoaster.” They also live on a limited income and are not able to get house insurance.

“Thoughts like, ‘Where am I gonna go in winter if it does burn?’” Dion said.

“Because we heat with wood because that’s the most efficient and economical way to do it, so if it’s gone, it’s gone,” Sindy added. “We’re not getting any of it back, nothing. We will have nothing, if it burns.”

The Schofields are also concerned about lost food in their freezer and the potential loss of their garden.

They say they have no choice but to think positively about their situation.

“It’s interesting, the unknown is always interesting I guess, it’s intriguing enough to get us through, going the opposite way, which would be being real sad about losing stuff, so we’re looking at the positive side of it,” Dion said.

The couple were able to look at their home with cameras, until power in the area was cut off a few days ago.

“We were fortunate, we had cameras on the house for a bit, so we got to see really what was going on … then they shut the power off and now we’re really feeling it because we don’t have that little window to see what little bit we can see.”

Rob Howie, another evacuee, said he and his family are safe, but he’s still worried about his home.

“The fire’s pretty close to it, but I got no official word on anything yet,” he said. “We’re hoping to hear some updates today sometime. We’ll see how it goes.

“There’s a lot of brave, hardworking people putting a lot of effort into it.”

Simonds Lake wildfire

DNR says a wildfire in Simonds Lake in Digby County is now under control. It is estimated to be 1.75 hectares.

Scott Tingley, manager of forest protection with Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources, said it’s believed the blaze started as a structure fire before spreading to the woods.

Ten DNR resources and 16 local firefighters were battling the Simonds Lake fire Monday.

Federal government providing assistance

The federal government said Sunday it will be providing assistance with the active wildfires in the province.

“I have approved a Request for Federal Assistance from the Government of Nova Scotia to provide resources to support wildfire suppression efforts,” said Federal Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski in a statement.

“Public Safety’s Government Operations Centre is working with the Canadian Armed Forces and other partners to deploy all necessary federal resources and ensure Nova Scotia has the support it needs. I continue to remain in close contact with my counterpart in Nova Scotia as the situation evolves.”

Woods ban

Two weeks ago, the Nova Scotia government restricted access on people entering wooded areas across the province amid the rising risk of wildfires.

Despite the smattering of rain over the weekend, Houston said they have no plans to lift the ban anytime soon.

“The risk is still incredibly high,” he said. “We ask people to stay out of the woods. There will be lots of time for hiking, but it’s not now.

“The rain will come. We want these bans lifted.”

The fine for violating the woods ban is $25,000.

State of local emergency

The Long Lake wildfire prompted the Municipality of the County of Annapolis to declare a state of local emergency on Saturday.

The municipal state of local emergency is in effect for a week, unless renewed or terminated sooner.

Residents are asked to follow all official instructions and directives from emergency officials. The declaration also prohibits the inflation of prices for essential goods and services.

Residents are being urged to monitor official updates from the Annapolis Regional Emergency Management Organization (REMO) and other official government sources or call 1-833-806-1515 for public information related to the wildfire and evacuation supports.

Shelter relocated

The reception and shelter for Long Lake evacuees was relocated over the weekend from the Bridgetown Fire Hall to the Nova Scotia Community College Annapolis Valley Campus at 295 Commercial St. in Middleton.

The first round of evacuations happened Thursday morning, for civic addresses #4094 to #5315 on West Dalhousie Road.

Another evacuation order was issued Thursday night for the following residents:

• Dalhousie Road intersection to 484 Morse Road
• West Dalhousie Road #4530 to #6186
• Thorne Road 2648 to 3408
• Medicraft Lane 122, 126, 126 (Unit 2)

In total, 107 homes were evacuated.

The evacuation zone did not expand over the weekend, however DNR has warned that more evacuations may be possible.

Air quality statement

An air quality statement remains in effect for Annapolis County due to the wildfires, which are reducing local air quality.

People in the area are encouraged to keep their windows and doors closed.

Nova Scotia’s Department of Emergency Management has warned people in other parts of Nova Scotia that they would smell smoke from the Long Lake wildfire.

“Please keep that in mind if you suspect a fire in your community. If you notice visible flames, a column of smoke with a defined source, black/brown smoke, or any other indication of an active fire, call 911 or the Department of Natural Resources at 1-800-565-2224,” it said in a post on X.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jennifer Heudes, Callum Smith and Sean Mott

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page