A wildfire in the northwest region of Halifax, Nova Scotia was contained 85% due to rain on Saturday.
The Nova Scotia wildfire which has been burning since days finally saw some relief as rain on saturday eased the situation which was out of control. More than 20,000 residents have been displaced till now and 2.7 million hectares of land has been scorched this year in Canada.
The wildfire which has been out of control got some help from nature as rain poured on Saturday in the Tantallon region. However in many parts, the wildfire continues to blaze as some optimism is seen in firefighters and the city.
Canadian military and U.S. firefighters have been assisting Canadian firefighters to contain the wildfire across Nova Scotia.
Rain contains 85% of Tantallon wildfire
According to David Steeves, a forest resources technician with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, the fire in the Halifax region is almost 85% contained and is not expected to spread further.
The fire in the Tantallon area is spread across 950 hectares or 9.5 square kilometres in the Halifax area and has destroyed 200 buildings out of which 150 are homes of people displaced. The reason for containment being the combined efforts of firefighters and the Saturday rain.
Dave Steers said that they won’t declare the fire as completely contained till they check every rock and ember so people can be sure about the safety of living in their homes. He said that the rain is going to help them in suppression issues. Dave also remarked that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to control the situation.
Nova Scotia premier Tim Houston was also optimistic about the rain. Houston remarked, “If you step outside, you will see something beautiful… rain,”.
Environment Canada forecasted 10-20mm of rain yesterday and is expecting more rain next week.
Due to heavy rain, the woods in the area had grown more slippery and dirty, creating another obstacle in firefighter’s efforts.
Only Shelburne County wildfire considered out of control
After the rain acted as a helping hand in the Halifax area, it was deemed not to be out of control. The only wildfire which is considered ‘out of control’ is the one in Shelburne County and is now considered one of the largest recorded wildfires in the province.
The fire in Shelburne County is one of the largest wildfires in the province which has spread across 24,980 hectares and has displaced around 6,700 people from their homes, according to local officials.
The total number of active fires also declined from 10 to 5 throughout the day.
Dave Rockwood, who is a spokesperson of the Department of Natural Resources, announced from Shelburne County that the Lake Road fire in Shelby County and Pubnico Fire near Yarmouth Country are no longer considered out of control.
Dave also said that there was “cautious optimism” that firefighters will be able to contain the fire through direct tactics and there would be no further growth.
