Nova Scotia firefighters head to Newfoundland and Labrador to battle wildfires

A group of Nova Scotians is being sent to fight wildfires burning in central Newfoundland.

Twenty wildland firefighters from the Department of Resources and Renewables and one agency representative will join crews in Gander, N.L., according to a news release from the Nova Scotia government Monday.

“I’m proud of our department firefighters for answering the call of duty, and I know their service is greatly appreciated by our neighbours in Newfoundland,” said Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables Tory Rushton in a news release.

“We are always happy to help fire crews in other places when our resources allow, safe in the knowledge that our help will be returned when we need it.”

The team is scheduled to leave Shubenacadie Monday and will travel to Newfoundland by ferry, arriving in Gander Tuesday. Upon arrival, they will be told where they will be deployed to.

Nova Scotia says current fire conditions in the province allow for resources to be shared.

Two wildfires near Grand Falls-Windsor and the nearby Bay d'Espoir Highway have been raging for three weeks. They were started on July 24 by lightning strikes during a period of hot, dry weather.

A state of emergency in the area was lifted Saturday. The Newfoundland and Labrador government said wildfire behaviour, air quality and weather conditions were all encouraging enough to support the decision.

Nova Scotia is part of the Canadian Mutual Aid Resource Sharing Agreement, which ensures all provinces and territories will receive help if forest fires become too large to handle. The affected province covers the cost.

With files from the Canadian Press.