P.E.I. crew heads home as Long Lake, N.S., wildfire continues to be held

An 802 plane drops water on the Long Lake wildfire. (Province of Nova Scotia)

Access controls remain in place around the active Long Lake wildfire complex in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis County.

“Crews continue to make progress on their objectives of putting out hotspots and completing routine work,” said an update from Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on X.

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

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
• 30 DNR firefighters
• support staff

DNR extended a special thank you to the fire crew from Prince Edward Island who are returning home Thursday.

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.

For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.