More Halifax residents can return home Friday after wildfires
Many Tantallon residents who were evacuated due to wildfires that destroyed 151 homes in the area will be permitted to return home Friday, the Halifax Regional Municipality said.
Mayor Mike Savage said Halifax residents should expect an alert Friday with details for those in the Upper Tantallon area who will be able to return to their community.
“Tomorrow it is our intent, it is our plan, that the majority of people who were evacuated will be able to return to their homes,” Savage said during a news conference Thursday afternoon.
There are about 4,100 residents in the Halifax Regional Municipality that are under evacuation orders as of Thursday evening.
Those living in areas most severely impacted by wildfires will have to wait a bit longer before they can return, said Erica Fleck, Halifax’s director of emergency management.
Fleck said residents from areas of “significant impact” should expect to remain evacuated for as long as 10 days while safety inspections continue and fencing is installed around destroyed homes.
These three locations in the "dark orange zone" on municipal mapping are where the bulk of the burned down structures, fuel spills and impassable roads are located.
HRM map of fire impact
“There’s a significant list of items that are still big safety risks in those areas,” Fleck said.
“As we get down to the nitty gritty, we have to take it street by street, and house by house to make sure we’re not sending people to an unsafe environment.”
The emergency management director said crews are working on identifying specific areas that are still dangerous that will be cordoned off with fencing before allowing residents to return.
Wildfires in the suburban area northwest of Halifax were first reported May 28 and more than 16,000 people were displaced at the height of evacuations.
Thursday marks the final day to register online with the Canadian Red Cross to receive $500 per household for evacuees. The organization said that residents who have been unable to register online can continue to call 1-800-863-6582 to access support.
Fires are considered under control — but not out — in Westwood Hills, Tantallon and Hammonds Plains.
The Barrington Lake wildfire in Shelburne County that covers 23,525 hectares is still classified as "being held,” which means it is not moving, but is still not under control.
For More Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.