Crews worked until dusk try to contain two difficult and active wildfires in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis county, but extremely hot and dry weather is hampering their efforts.
“The extremely dry conditions are killing us,” says Jim Rhudderham, supervisor of wildfire management.
The three wildfires in Maitland Bridge, Seven Mile Lake, as well as one in Greenfield, started late Thursday night. The Greenfield consumed 4.6 hectares, but it is now 100 per cent contained.
The wildfires are so intense, New Brunswick’s entire fleet of six water bombers were flown over Friday afternoon to provide aid to DNR crews, volunteers, and local fire departments.
The blaze in Maitland Bridge is about 10 hectares, while the one in Seven Mile Lake is around 30 hectares.The wildfire has also forced the closure of Highway 8 as RCMP officers blocked residents from entering the area.
DNR does not expect to issue an evacuation order andsay there hasn’t been a risk to structures.The local EMO says unless the situation changes, there doesn’t appear to be a major threat to residents.
The majority of the province of Nova Scotia is under a strict burn ban, which means no open-air burning whatsoever. Cape Breton and the county of Antigonish are permitted burnings only between 7:00 p.m. until 8:00 a.m.
The burn bans in New Brunswick have downgraded to restrictions, with burnings only allowed after 8:00 p.m. until 8:00 a.m.
Meanwhile, there are no burn bans or restrictions on Prince Edward Island.
Rhudderham says he hasn’t seen it this dry in a long time and is sending out a warning to residents in the western regions of Nova Scotia.
“It’s too hot and too dry to go into the woods,” says Rhudderham. “We warn Nova Scotians to be incredibly careful.”
The air tankers, water bombers and other crew members will try once again to contain the wildfires first thing Saturday morning.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Amanda Debison
