Region Archives: Canada East

Roofers working at a home on Tattingstone Court on Sunday believe they witnessed the start of the Tantallon wildfire that damaged hundreds of buildings and forced thousands of people to evacuate from the area. Ben Clattenburg was up on a roof when he noticed a small fire behind a home on nearby Juneberry Lane. “It just looked like a bonfire – like somebody burning something,” Clattenburg said Tuesday. “We were thinking it was a pretty hot and dry day to be burning something in your backyard.” It was too hot to be having a campfire at the time, Clattenburg said. “It was 30 C out. It was three o’clock in the afternoon. Why would anybody be sitting around a fire?” Then, all of a sudden, the fire was in two spots, said the 27-year-old.

For much of May 2023, wildland fires raged in western Canada. In the last few days of the month, blazes flared up thousands of miles to the east as well, in the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia. The fires, unusually large for Nova Scotia, forced the evacuation of thousands of people. Smoke billowed from a fire near the town of Shelburne on May 29, when an astronaut on the International Space Station took this photograph. By the morning of May 31, after four days of burning, the fire had scorched 17,000 hectares (66 square miles) near the southern tip of Nova Scotia. It became the largest forest fire in the province’s history. On May 29, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a wider view of the blaze in Shelburne County (below). The fire grew rapidly from 6,000 hectares on that day to 17,000 hectares two days later, due to dry and windy conditions.

A wildfire that has been burning out of control for more than three days in suburbs outside of Halifax is now 50 per cent contained, but officials warn crews are still dealing with a volatile and dangerous situation with more hot and dry weather on tap for today. David Steeves of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources said the fire has not grown, and roughly half of the 837-hectare blaze that reaches through the communities Upper Tantallon, Hammonds Plains and Pockwock is now contained. But Steeves stressed that “we are far from being out of the woods.” …”We are still dealing with a very dangerous and volatile situation and we’re going to take all precautions necessary to keep our folks and the public safe,” Steeves said at the incident command centre in Upper Tantallon. …Officials are investigating what started the initial fire, officials have said it was likely human activity.

The federal government has approved further resources to help fight the wildfires ripping through parts of Nova Scotia. …The Canadian Armed Forces will provide planning and coordination support, as well as firefighters and fire specialists to help control the blazes. The firefighters will be used to relieve crews who have been working on the ground for days. “They’re doing an extraordinary job, but quite frankly they need help,” Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said. “That is a particularly dangerous fire and we’re very concerned that it actually threatens a number of communities and other critical infrastructure in southern Nova Scotia, and so we’ll move as quickly as possible to bring them that relief.” An out-of-control wildfire burning through parts of Shelburne County is the largest on record in the province, and additional fires have started in the area. Another wildfire near Halifax has destroyed 150 homes, but is now 50 per cent contained.

Officials say more than 200 homes and other structures have been damaged or destroyed. A local official who toured the wildfire area northwest of Halifax on Tuesday said it has left “visible scars” on the community. “The randomness of it — going through a neighbourhood you could see one property was lost and a house next door was fine,” said Cathie O’Toole, Halifax’s chief administrative officer, during an afternoon media briefing. “The second thing that struck me is the speed at which people left.” O’Toole said when people are able to come back to the area, “the entire community is going to need some support through this to try and recover.” On Tuesday, officials said the fire did not spread but still poses a danger. David Steeves of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources said crews were busy all afternoon attending smoke and small fires.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has banned all activity in forests as of Tuesday, and says the wildfire damage is “extensive” and “heartbreaking.” …Near Halifax, approximately 200 homes or structures have been damaged. Due to the ongoing firefighting efforts, Houston said all activity in the province’s woods are prohibited. This applies to hiking, camping, fishing, use of off-highway vehicles, forestry, hunting and more. The premier also pleaded with Nova Scotians not to disobey the provincial burn ban. Houston said there were six illegal burns reported Monday evening. …The restrictions apply to crown and private land. Private landowners are free to use their own properties, but cannot host others in the wooded areas of their property. Forestry, mining and any commercial activity on crown land is also restricted. Forestry companies can only work between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. These restrictions are in place until at least June 25.

Ontario Provincial Police say a highway between the northern communities of White River and Hornepayne is closed due to a forest fire causing “extremely dangerous conditions” in the area. Police have posted photos online showing heavy black smoke alongside Highway 631. Conditions had improved enough for the highway to reopen at 11 a.m. Tuesday, said OPP Const. Ashley Nickle, but changing winds around 2 p.m. caused zero visibility, causing another closure. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said there is a wildfire burning 5.5 kilometres west of White River that is not under control. It said there’s another forest fire burning north of Highway 17, in the Kakakiwibik Esker Conservation Reserve, that is not under control. Another fire near Chapleau, Ont., is being held. Several communities, including White River, Hornepayne, Chapleau and the city of Elliot Lake, have issued fire bans.

Most of Ontario is under high to extreme hazard for forest fires, joining both western and eastern provinces in Canada. Closer to home in Northeastern Ontario region, five new fires were confirmed Monday. Chapleau 1 is not under control and is burning about 2.3 hectares. It is located about six kilometres east of the town and just south of Gallagher Lake. Other fires of note are Wawa 2, which began Friday and is located south of Highway 17 and Crocker’s Lake, about 5.5 km west of White River. The 105 hectare fire is not under control. Wawa 3 began Saturday and is located within the Kakakiwibik Esker north of Highway 17. The 800-hectare fire is not under control. Several other fires in the northwest part of the province also remain out of control. …The hot and dry conditions are expected to continue throughout the week, with slight chance of rain.

The largest forest fire in Nova Scotia’s recorded history is expected to grow even more Wednesday, as hot and dry conditions persist. The fire, which started near Barrington Lake in Shelburne County on Saturday, is still out of control, and has now reached or surpassed 20,000 hectares, said Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton. Rushton told the CBC’s Information Morning, “everything lined up for a perfect storm. The dry winter, dry spring, perfectly warm breeze and warm weather in the spring has certainly not helped our province at all with this fire season.” Previously, the biggest forest fire on record in Nova Scotia was in June 1976 when a blaze in Guysborough County lasted six days and scorched 13,000 hectares. …Thirty to 40 dwellings are believed to have been damaged, Rushton said, but due to shifting winds and the ongoing fire, it has been difficult for crews to make a full assessment.

A forest fire that forced hundreds of evacuations and destroyed a home in southwest New Brunswick remained out of control on Monday afternoon, though officials said they were hopeful things would soon change. The fire raging near the towns of Bocabec and Chamcook was being pummelled from above by seven water bombers, while crews from 13 different fire departments in the region attacked the flames from the ground, said Kevin Theriault, chief of the fire department in Saint Andrews, N.B. The flames had stopped spreading upwards into the trees, and were instead smouldering close to the ground, he said. Crews hoped to have the fires under control later on Monday or some time on Tuesday, Theriault told reporters, adding: “But this will be a long, drawn-out firefight for everybody for hot spots.” New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said … the province had seen an “unprecedented” number of fires so far this year.

HALIFAX — Thousands of residents had been forced to flee and dozens of homes had been damaged or destroyed as a wildfire raged out of control Monday outside Halifax. Spurred by high temperatures and fed by high winds, what began as a series of structure fires in a Tantallon subdivision Sunday had rapidly developed into an uncontrolled forest fire. Thousands of Nova Scotia residents woke Monday morning with no clear idea as to whether their homes had been destroyed by a wildfire raging out of control some 20 km from the edge of Halifax. Others were on the receiving end of bad news. …Through a dark haze of smoke, sometimes with fires burning along the side of the roads, approximately 16,000 people were forced to leave their homes amid multiple evacuation orders. …At the same time as wildfires burned outside of Halifax, Nova Scotia fire crews were also battling another, larger wildfire in Shelburne County, in the southwestern part of the province.

Raging wildfires that have burned through thousands of acres have forced more than 16,000 Canadians to evacuate their homes and triggered a burn ban in Nova Scotia, as the region experiences record-breaking heat. Officials say the fires, which span a total of more than 25,000 acres and have been deemed “out of control” by officials, have destroyed multiple buildings and caused huge plumes of smoke to tower over the region. As of Monday, more than 16,000 people were forced to evacuate the area around Halifax, Nova Scotia’s largest city. The number of people who have been forced from their homes is about 16,429, Erica Fleck, Division Chief of Emergency Management of the Halifax Regional Municipality, said in a news conference Monday. The blazes have damaged at least 200 homes or structures, the Halifax municipality said, citing first responders’ initial visual inspections.

Barrington Lake in Shelburne County in southwest Nova Scotia has declared a local state of emergency as a wildfire burns out of control, forcing hundreds of residents from their homes. The Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR) said Monday evening the fire has grown to 9,682 hectares. Some structures have been destroyed and others are threatened but there are no firm numbers yet, it said. The RCMP said Monday roughly 450 homes have been evacuated so far, affecting roughly 1,500 people in Shelburne County. In some instances, the department said flames have been as high as 200 feet. Gusts of wind between 40 and 50 km/h blowing embers aren’t helping matters. Scott Tingley, the department’s manager of forest protection said, “down in Barrington we’ve been fighting hot, dry, windy conditions since Friday – that is the main contributing factor to why these fires are growing”.

TIMMINS, Ontario — There were five new forest fires, including one near Timmins, reported across the region, as of early Sunday evening. Timmins 5, located 15 kilometres east of Highway 144 just south of Mamie Lake, was confirmed on Sunday and is listed as “not under control,” and was two hectares. Cochrane 1, also confirmed Sunday afternoon, is currently listed at 45 hectare fire and is “being observed.” Three other new fires were confirmed on Sunday, as well. Sudbury 4 is located 1.5 kilometres east of Highway 69, 0.5 kilometers north of Round Lake. It is listed as 1.5 hectares and it is “not under control.” Algonquin Park 2 is located on the north shore of Whitefish Lake. It is 0.1 hectares and is “not under control.” Parry Sound 5 is located six kilometres east of Highway 69 and three kilometers south of Cantin Lake. 0.1 hectares and is “not under control.”

Northwestern Ontario — A massive forest fire has been confirmed near a local First Nation community. Sioux Lookout Fire #17 is currently listed at 629 hectares and is not under control at this time, burning north of Cat Lake First Nation. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services branch says there are ten FireRanger crews, five helicopters and 1 fixed-wing aircraft assigned to the fire. No evacuation orders have been issued to this point. Cat Lake First Nation is located about 180 km northwest of Sioux Lookout with an on-reserve population of about 500 members. Elsewhere, the MNRF was also able to confirm a 15-hectare fire northwest of Dryden and west of Rosamond Lake, listed as not under control.

The Halifax Regional Municipality has declared a local state of emergency in the communities affected by a massive wildfire that has caused thousands of evacuations, school closures and power outages just outside Halifax. The municipality said the state of emergency would last seven days, “unless otherwise lifted or extended.” …Nova Scotia RCMP have ordered residents of several subdivisions in the Upper Tantallon/Hammonds Plains area to leave their homes. The Westwood Hills subdivision was the first to begin an evacuation as the fire consumed at least 10 homes. …Deputy Chief Dave Meldrum said Sunday night that there have been no injuries reported from the fire and described it as “not under control.” …Kara McCurdy, a fire prevention officer, says Nova Scotia has had 176 wildfires so far this season compared to 70 at this time last year. McCurdy cites dry conditions for the increase.

A forest fire continues to rage in communities near Saint Andrews in southwestern New Brunswick, prompting evacuation orders for some regions in Bocabec early Sunday evening. Saint Andrew Fire Chief Kevin Theriault said the fire was started by an ATV fire in the woods in Chamcook, just outside of Saint Andrews, around 1:30 p.m. …Around 75 homes have been evacuated so far, said Theriault. He said the last update from DNR indicated that the fire was around 75 hectares. He said three water bombers were brought in earlier in the day, but ended operations after sunset. Theriault said there are crews in the woods in attack lines with water hoses. He said RCMP are keeping the area secure and the highway is shut down. …A burn ban is also in effect for the whole province.

SUDBURY, Ontario — Five new forest fires broke out today afternoon in the northeast region, with two of them currently ablaze within the Sudbury District. Timmins 5 broke out in Sudbury District, 15 km east of Highway 144. It measures two hectares, and it is not under control. Sudbury 4 also started in Sudbury District and is located 1.5 km east of Highway 69. It is a 1.5-hectare fire, and it is not yet under control, MNRF says. Algonquin Park 2 is a 0.1-hectare fire that broke out on the north shore of Whitefish Lake in Nipissing District. It is also not under control. Parry Sound 5 broke out in Parry Sound, six km east of Highway 69. It takes 0.1 hectares, and it is not under control. Visit this interactive map to see fire hazards in your area.

Halifax Regional Municipality Mayor Mike Savage declared a local state of emergency late Sunday evening as fire crews continue to battle a fire in Upper Tantallon. The local state of emergency is set to be in effect for seven days, unless regional council lifts or extends the declaration. The state of emergency will give the municipal government more power to respond to the wildfire. RCMP officers are on the scene to assist with evacuations. …The evacuation orders will not be lifted until at least Monday. …Halifax Fire district chief Rob Hebb said the fire was “jumping roads,” affecting multiple structures. …The fire was quickly moving, driven by steady winds at 15 to 20 kilometres per hour, with gusts reported at 40 km/h. “It’s overrunning our crews and most of them are pulling back,” he said, adding wooded areas are tinder dry due to a lack of rain.

Additional coverage in Global News by Mitchell Bailey: Homes ‘engulfed in flames’ from N.S. wildfire, thousands evacuated in Halifax suburbs

A wildfire that has consumed numerous homes is still burning out of control northwest of Halifax on Monday, with thousands of residences under a mandatory evacuation order. The evacuations cover … suburban communities about 25 kilometres from Halifax… Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Deputy Chief Dave Meldrum said in an update Monday morning no injuries have been reported, but “numerous” buildings have been affected or lost, including in the Westwood subdivision, near Hammonds Plains Road, and Yankeetown Road and northward to Pockwock Road. No one has been reported missing, he said. On Sunday, the number of buildings consumed by fire was believed to be 10. Meldrum did not have an update on Monday morning, but said the number is likely to rise. …Meldrum said the wind is now blowing from the north, which will push the fire back toward where it was burning on Sunday. But he said that can still pose a danger.

Crews have contained or extinguished four separate wildfires in Pictou County this week. On May 24, someone alerted the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR) to four “small fires,” including 1.5 hectares in Sunny Brae, two hectares in McLellan’s Mountain, as well as half a hectare on both Gray Road and Union Centre. “The cause of the fires is under investigation,” spokesperson Patricia Jreige wrote in an email. “But it’s unclear exactly when they began.” …Jreige said there were no reports of evacuations. “No homes were at risk,” she wrote. “There are roads and other buildings in the area, but no damage done to them.”