N.S. running out of time to lay possible charges for 2023 wildfires

Tantallon wildfire. (Communications Nova Scotia)

The Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources has less than a year to press charges for the 2023 wildfires, and it is turning to the public for more information.

According to a news release from the province, the department has gathered “a considerable amount of information” on the wildfires in Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains, but it has exhausted other ways to investigate potential Forests Act violations.

The department has a two-year window from the date of the offence to lay charges under the act. The release notes charges can only be laid if there is enough evidence to secure a conviction.

The Upper Tantallon wildfire began on May 28, 2023, and it destroyed 151 homes.

Last January, the department announced a 22-year-old man had been charged under the Forests Act in connection to the Shelburne County wildfire in spring 2023. Punishments under the act can include fines up to $50,000 and/or a six-month prison sentence.

Anyone with information on the Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains wildfires is asked to call the department at 1-800-565-2224.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.