Burn ban not stopping some Nova Scotians from sparking up backyard blazes

Fire pit activity has been held to a minimum lately, but rain on Monday provided some relief from the mild and windy conditions of last week.

Fire officials in the region say they are not ready to relax.

“This little bit of moisture we’ve had will go away and will be back in the same situation again,” says the manager of Fleet and Forest Protection in Nova Scotia, Jeff Rudderham.

According to the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, during last year 220 wildfires consumed nearly 25,000 hectares in Nova Scotia.

The largest one in Shelburne County burned a record 23,300 hectares alone.

The Tantallon fire reached nearly 1000 hectares, combined, more than 200 homes were destroyed.

This year 27 wildfires have burned through 32 hectares of forest.

“We always hope to get through the spring season as quietly as we can. Last year, we certainly did not, this year has been ok so far and will see what May will bring us and then June,” Rudderham says.

A backyard firepit is shown in this photo. (Jonathan MacInnis/CTV Atlantic)Province-wide burn bans were in place across Nova Scotia most of last week, but that didn't stop some from sparking up backyard blazes.

“Especially in Halifax County there’s been a lot of activity outside of the regulated burn times so what we want resident to do is to follow those burn restrictions because they are set with public safety in mind,” says Kara McCurdy, Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency’s Wildfire Mitigation manager.

McCurdy says there is extra cause for concern given the amount of tree damage from recent storms.

“There’s a lot of windfall from hurricane Fiona for sure. It varies in the degree of what it will impact behavior, depending on the fuel typing," she says.

According to McCurdy, fines for burning while restrictions are in place can range from $250 to the cost of fighting a fire that gets out of control.

Nova Scotia's fire restrictions page was updated Monday afternoon, with burning only permitted between 7 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. across the province of Nova Scotia. Cape Breton County and Richmond County were the only exceptions, with an all-out burn ban still in place.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.