Helicopter crashes fighting wildfire in Nova Scotia, pilot rescued and conscious
Other firefighters in the area quickly reached the downed aircraft in Annapolis County, N.S., and found the pilot conscious, said a news release from the department.
The pilot was the sole person on board the aircraft and he was talking to the other firefighters and taken for medical assessment, the release said.
"Relieved to hear that the pilot involved in the helicopter crash near Halifax is safe and receiving care," said Eleanor Olszewski, the federal minister of emergency management, in a social media post. "The aircraft was supporting wildfire efforts in Nova Scotia. We're grateful for their service and wish them a full and speedy recovery."
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston also posted a message wishing the pilot a quick recovery.
"Thank you to everyone who responded so quickly to reach the aircraft and provide support," Houston wrote.
The helicopter crashed while fighting the Long Lake fire, which has been burning out of control since Wednesday in the Annapolis Valley. The fire grew from three to four square kilometres in the past two days, forcing the evacuation of about 100 homes in the heavily wooded West Dalhousie area, about 125 kilometres west of Halifax.
Officials said the crash occurred just before 4:30 p.m. local time. The Department of Natural Resources said it would not release the pilot's name, out of respect for his privacy.
Transport Canada has been informed about the incident, the department said.
A spokesperson with the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax said a Cormorant helicopter was dispatched to the scene to help out.
The crash came after fire officials said Friday they were concerned new wildfires could be ignited in the days ahead after thunderstorms rolled across the province Thursday night and into the morning.
Forest protection director Jim Rudderham said lightning can penetrate deep into the ground.
"The layers right down through the soil are very dry," he told a virtual briefing. "Lightning has a lot of power. It could drive into the ground and take some time to work its way back out again with fire .... It might take a while to pop up. "
Rudderham said that's bad news for a province that was already dealing with 11 wildfires.
Rudderham said provincial officials asked for help on Thursday from water bombers in another province, but those aircraft could not make it to Nova Scotia because of the long line of thunderstorms. The availability of water bombers has been stretched thin because of the ongoing wildfires across Atlantic Canada, he said.
However, on Friday afternoon, the Natural Resources Department said that two CL-415 water bombers from Quebec had started working on the Long Lake fire in Annapolis County at 3:30 p.m.
Dave Steeves, a spokesman for the department, said the helicopters Nova Scotia uses to extinguish fires work well.
"I've been a professional firefighter for over 20 years now and the helicopter resources that we have are extremely effective," he said. "We have a group of very talented pilots."
Rudderham agreed.
"The vast majority of our wildfires are easily contained by the machines we have," he said. "Remember, this is an extreme year where all the agencies are busy right now, but we continue to investigate and look at options to see what's best for us."
While the thunderstorms dumped rain on some areas, it wasn't enough to reduce the risk of more wildfires, Rudderham said.
'We'll take any kind of moisture," he said. "But it's very dry out there and it wasn't enough to help us."
Steeves said milder temperatures and higher humidity was helping firefighters, but 'we're still dealing with a relatively explosive situation.'
The Halifax Regional Municipality confirmed Friday night that a fire near Susies Lake, on the outskirts of the city, is now under control.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2025.
The Canadian Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Large hail, damaging winds possible with Prairies severe storm setup
Saturday will be a day to monitor the skies and forecast closely in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, with a prime environment for severe storms, large hail, damaging wind gusts and even isolated supercells. A trough is expected to trigger storms Saturday evening, bringing the threat for large hail, damaging winds and heavy rain. One or two tornadoes is not out of the question, but that is all dependent on the environment. DON'T MISS: It'll be important to remain weather-aware, and stay up-to-date on all of the latest watches and warnings as conditions change. Saturday: Severe storm risk pops up with large hail, damaging winds possible A trough will develop Saturday afternoon in central Alberta, extending southeast to bring the chance of severe storms--stretching from Grande Prairie into Edmonton, Alta. Lots of moisture is available to tap into eastern and central Alberta, as we can see isolated supercells kick off along the trough. DON'T MISS: Areas across northern Alberta, will primarily expect to see showers and heavy downpours at times. As the boundary drapes down to the southeast, we can expect to see our chance for severe storms develop for southern Saskatchewan through the late afternoon into the overnight hours--bringing the threat for strong winds and heavy rain. Storms are expected to be quite isolated in nature and slow-moving as they develop into Saskatchewan. Possible hazards include damaging wind gusts (exceeding 90 km/h), large Hail up to four centimetres in size and an isolated tornado if favourable dynamics come into play. Beware if you're travelling along the QE2 and Highway 16 in Alberta through the evening as this is when storms could impact driving. The parameters for severe storms are in store in Alberta, but it depends if the temperatures can warm up enough to overcome the cloud cover. Northern and central areas of the Prairies will be much cooler than seasonal through the weekend while warmer conditions will be found across southern areas. The warmth will expand north and dominate most of next week. However, a shot of much cooler weather will spread across the region late next week and eastern areas will be cooler than normal for next weekend--with highs in the teens across Manitoba and mid-20s to lower 30s returns to Alberta. Warmer-than-normal temperatures are expected to dominate during the final week of August. Be sure to check back for the latest updates across Alberta and Saskatchewan. WATCH: Prairies drive the second worst fire season on record in Canada Click here to view the video
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
South Asia flooding: Why the Kashmir region is increasingly susceptible to climate change
Western provinces have borne the brunt of devastating wildfire seasons, with millions of hectares burnt so far this year. The new reality is why so many Canadian provinces are pushing for more fire prevention. Eric Sorensen looks at the wildfire patterns in recent years, as Canada plans for future wildfire seasons.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
European Commission intervenes as wildfires kill at least 7 in Spain
Aug. 16 (UPI) -- The European Commission is deploying firefighting aircraft to Spain, where at least seven have died as 14 wildfires have flared amid a European heat wave. The commission is sending an unknown number of water-bombing planes to help put out the wildfires in Spain and wildfire-impacted areas in the Balkans, The Guardian reported on Saturday. The announcement came after a volunteer firefighter died on Thursday while fighting a wildfire in northern Spain's Castile and Leon region. A total of seven people have died in the Spanish wildfires along the nation's northern coastal areas, the BBC reported. "Death strikes us again with the loss of a second volunteer who has lost their life in Leon," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday, as reported by The Guardian. He described firefighting volunteers as "heroes" who are protecting the Spanish people and said the wildfire "threat remains extreme." Another volunteer firefighter died on Tuesday, and a Spanish man died while trying to save horses from a stable that caught fire near Madrid on Monday. Sanchez on Friday said wildfire conditions remain "very tough" as Spain's national weather agency reported an "extreme fire risk" in northern and western Spain, the BBC reported. The weather service predicted highs up to 104 degrees in Spain, where several wildfires have merged into a single conflagration that has closed several of the region's highways and halted rail services in northwestern Spain. Wildfires also have been reported in Portugal, France, Greece and the Balkans. Spain so far has reported about three times the number of wildfires that it normally experiences during a typical summer. The heatwave is predicted to continue at least until Monday with highs of up to 111 degrees with moderate winds that could spread airborne sparks and embers. The European Union reported 2,429 square miles of burnt land so far this year, and the Spanish wildfires account for more than 600 square miles of that total. Officials in Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro have requested emergency assistance from the EU.
