Nova Scotia wildfire battle far from over

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The hot weather is coming

Dry and windy weather is likely to complicate the work of crews on the ground Tuesday and Environment Canada has issued smoke alerts for the entire south coast of Nova Scotia from Halifax to Yarmouth.

According to Environment Canada meteorologist Bob Robichaud, temperatures will rise significantly by Thursday and rain is not expected before Saturday. The winds will continue to blow steadily until Thursday with gusts of 20 to 40 km/h.

Authorities recommend staying indoors or wearing a mask when going out.

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150 homes in Halifax completely destroyed

The Halifax Regional Municipality estimates nearly 200 homes were damaged (new window) or destroyed by Tantallon’s fire.

Although the full assessment of the damage in the area is not yet known the Deputy Chief of the Halifax Fire Department, Roy Hollettconfirms that 150 houses are completely destroyed.

They went up in smoke. There is nothing left.

The City of Halifax released updated evacuation zone mapping to show where those 150 homes were located.

Halifax evacuation perimeter to be reassessed Wednesday morning

Halifax Mayor Mike Savage has confirmed that the state of emergency remains in effect. This is a dynamic situation and things are changing rapidlyhe said in a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon.

More than 16,000 evacuees still cannot return to their places of residence.

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Difficult to return to the scene

There Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRCMP may have accompanied some people to pick up important personal effects or pets left behind, but the spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRCMP Guillaume Tremblay urges residents not to return to their homes.

The evacuated area is very dangeroushe explains. And we must give the maximum space to firefighters and first responders who are on site.

He recommends that evacuees who do not have their medication contact their doctor for new prescriptions and that anyone who wants to know the status of their home be patient.

Location in the southwest

The situation is also rapidly changing in the southwest of the province, where a wildfire that broke out on Saturday near Barrington Lake is growing exponentially (new window). 1,500 properties, homes and businesses were evacuatedindicates the director general of the Municipality of Barrington, Chris Frotten. It is estimated that there are between 2,000 and 2,500 displaced people.

He also reminds that the main highway in the region, route 103, is blocked between exits 27 and 30. The same goes for all the secondary roads in this area.

There is no way to get from Barrington to Halifax, he said. He finds that this creates frustration and problems for individuals and business personnel who have to travel between the South West and the capital region or along the coast.

He indicates that many people also wonder about the state of their house, but he specifies that this information will come from the Ministry of Natural Resources when the evaluation is completed.

In the meantime, people in the Southwest who have questions or need help with evacuations due to the Barrington Fire can call 902-637-7899.

A government delegation is criss-crossing the southwest today cheering on firefighters and offering support to concerned citizens.

We want residents in the region to know that we are there for them and that we will support them in any waysays Colton Leblanc, MP for Argyle, who is also, among other things, Minister of Service Nova Scotia.

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Fishing season postponed

Fisheries, Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard Minister Joyce Murray announced on Twitter that lobster fishermen in areas 33 and 34 in southwestern Nova Scotia will get a season extension.

These fishing grounds are affected by the fires raging in the area near the capital, Halifax. I also want to point out that many of the fishers in these communities are volunteer firefighters responding to this crisis. Thank you for serving your community and keeping people safesaid Ms. Murray.

Meanwhile, fisherman Morgan Joel D’Entremont is worried about the progress of the fires and closely monitoring the direction of the winds.

Our wharf is in West Pubnico. It was the first day that we returned to the bay with the traps. It seemed like a small fire to me, and then it started to rise and, within 15 minutes, it was blacker than black.he observed.

If the winds change, it will change everything.

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All Forest Activities Prohibited in Nova Scotia

Premier Tim Houston announces that all activities in the forest, including commercial activities, will be prohibited until further notice.

This includes fishing, hunting, camping and hiking activities.

Stop burning things. Stop throwing your cigarette butts out your car window! Stop!

An open fire ban is in effect across the Maritimes.

As for the cause of this fire, the investigation is still ongoing.

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Resource deployment

Nova Scotia Minister of Natural Resources and Renewable Energy, Tory Rushton promises more resources on the ground on Tuesday.

Already there are four departmental water bombers, two air tankers sent from Newfoundland and Labrador and three to four private helicopters that the province has hired to transport water, not to mention other resources.

One of these air tankers was redirected to the Pubnico area.

Firefighters from Prince Edward Island are on the way and sprinkler lines from Ontario will be dispatched.

A request was also made for assistance from Northeastern United States wildland firefighters.

In addition, Nova Scotian firefighters recently deployed to the Northwest Territories are being repatriated.

With information from CBC, La Canadian Press as well as journalists Isabelle Arseneau, Heloise Rodriguez-Qizilbash, Julie Sicot and Nouemsi Njiké