Officials say Halifax wildfire that prompted evacuations is being held
HALIFAX — A wildfire on the western outskirts of Halifax that had prompted evacuations is now being held, Nova Scotia officials say.
But the update, posted at 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, said firefighters would remain overnight at the scene of the fire near Susies Lake, which is about 10 kilometres west of downtown Halifax.
The Halifax Regional Municipality said the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources estimated that the blaze remained around 15 hectares in size.
The Susies Lake fire erupted on Tuesday afternoon close to businesses and homes in the Bayers Lake area and prompted the evacuation of three businesses in the Bayers Lake business park.
It also forced a hardware store and restaurant to close and an outpatient clinic in the Susies Lake area was also shut.
The latest update said the mandatory evacuations of all businesses in the plaza on the west side of Chain Lake Drive remained in place.
Earlier Wednesday, Scott Tingley with the Natural Resources Department told reporters that the blaze was caused by human activity and an open fire pit was found at the scene of the fire.
"There was nobody in the area when crews arrived on the scene, that makes it impossible to hold the person or people responsible to account," Tingley said at a news briefing. "That's frustrating to everyone."
Open fires are banned across Nova Scotia and violations come with a $25,000 fine. The province has also banned hiking, fishing and using vehicles in the woods, as well as any camping outside of designated camp sites. Anyone caught breaking the rules will face the same $25,000 punishment.
Twelve people have been fined since last week, Premier Tim Houston told reporters.
"It's certainly my hope that every single one of those is fully prosecuted and collected. It's just too serious of a situation right now," Houston said.
Tingley said firefighters in the province had responded to 17 reports of wildfires in the past day.
Firefighters were able to suppress and extinguish "a number of them quite easily" which allowed them to focus resources on the larger fires that require more attention, Tingley said.
"Why are we getting these fires? It's dry, and unfortunately there's activities out there that are happening that shouldn't be," he said.
Houston said there's been no loss of life or of structures thanks to the efforts of Nova Scotia's firefighters.
"The main reason we haven't had a catastrophe yet is our firefighters. They're stretched very, very thin right now … they've done an amazing job," he said.
The premier stressed that the "province is a tinder box" and urged Nova Scotians to take the wildfire restrictions seriously.
"I get that people want to go for a hike or want to go for walk in the woods with their dog. But how would you like to be stuck in the woods while there's a fire burning around you?"
Houston added that there's no significant rain in the forecast, and that as a result it's likely going to be "a long next few weeks."
— With files from Brieanna Charlebois in Vancouver
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2025.
Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
One of the world's tallest trees is burning. Why can't firefighters put it out?
When flames were spotted within one of the world's tallest trees, firefighters flooded the area. Drones, aircraft and hand crews worked for days to tame the fire, successfully stopping it from spreading across the dense forest that surrounds the famous Doerner Fir tree in Oregon's Coast Range mountains. But the towering Coast Douglas-fir has remained stubbornly alight. And firefighters — at least at the moment — seem stumped. 'There's still this spot where water is just not quite reaching yet," said Megan Harper, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Land Management in Oregon. 'Partway down the tree there's an area that's burning a cavity into the side. ... That is the area that is now still hot." The bizarre single-tree fire has now become an almost weeklong firefight in Coos County, Ore., as the hot spot continues to burn approximately 280 feet up on the side of the arboreal giant. 'We have different conversations [going on] in the background with arborist experts, who may be able to help get the rest of the fire out," Harper said. 'How do you get water into a hot spot from the side?" Read more: Wildfire burns Joshua trees in area considered a 'last refuge' for the species She said crews are stationed around the tree and will remain so until the fire is out. The fire initially broke out Saturday around 2 p.m. 'We've been able to use helicopters with buckets ... that's been very successful getting the top of the tree," she said. The still-smoking side cavity has proven more difficult. Harper said the blaze's initial charge felled an estimated 50-foot chunk from the top of the tree, which consistently had ranked among the world's tallest. Before the fire, it was often listed as the second-tallest tree in the U.S., trailing only Hyperion, a gargantuan 380-foot Coast redwood located in Redwood National and State Parks. Read more: As wildfires decimate the giant sequoia, California faces unprecedented loss 'Prefire [Doerner] was 325 feet tall and about 11.5 feet in diameter, so it's a large, tall tree," Harper said. 'We're not sure exactly how much height is lost.' Depending what happens in the next few days, 'more height could be lost,' she said. Harper said the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Initially, officials thought lightning was a likely culprit, but weather data have ruled that out, Harper said. 'I think everyone would be super disheartened to learn that maybe it would be human-caused," Harper said, confirming that there is a remote trail that provides hikers access to the tree. But she said their team is not making any assumptions while the investigation continues. 'Fire in the Oregon Coast Range is actually pretty rare … so the fact that it even happened and then it happened to be this tree — it was a very unique situation," Harper said. BLM land around the Doerner Fir fire in Coquille, Ore., remains closed while firefighting continues. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Vegetation fire on Scharen Road in Eugene brings level 3 'go now' evacuation orders
(This story has been updated to include new information) A brush fire is burning in the 85500 block of Scharen Road in Eugene on the evening of Aug. 20. According to WatchDuty, the fire is between 2 to 5 acres and was reported around 5 p.m. Evacuations were reportedly taking place at the end of North Hideaway Hills Road and Hampton Road was being shut down. Traffic was being stopped at Highway 99. The Lane County Sheriff's Office issued a level 3 "go now" evacuation notice for the follow areas: Hideaway Hills to the power lines east of Skyhawk Way from Hampton Road south to Dillard Road. Level 3 means to leave immediately. The sheriff's office also issued a level 2 "be set" evacuation order for the following areas: the neighborhood between Dillard Road, Hidden Meadows Drive, Skyhawk Way and Ridge Top Drive. Level 2 means to prepare to leave at a moment's notice. It was not immediately clear what caused the fire. Air support was requested to fight the fire. Smoke was blowing south and there was a breeze. 'It seems to be stabilized if not under control. We do not believe it's arson, it appears to be accidental,' said Sgt. Tim Wallace, spokesperson for the Lane County Sheriff's Office. A fire watch beginning Aug. 21 has also been issued due to forecast high temperatures and an extreme heat warning lasting Aug. 22-24. This story will be updated. Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@ This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Vegetation fire reported on Scharen Road in Eugene, Oregon Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
More than 60 people rescued via helicopter after flooding in B.C. provincial park
It took rescuers 10 helicopter trips and about seven hours to airlift over 60 people from the flooding in Bugaboo Provincial Park on Sunday. Jordy Shepherd, a team member with Columbia Valley Search and Rescue, said they were first called to the popular park in the East Kootenay region around 8 a.m. local time on Aug. 17. He said the Alpine Club of Canada had informed rescuers that the creek levels were very high around the popular Conrad Kain Hut area, and that they should investigate. What rescuers discovered was the creek near the hut, and under a trail bridge, was running very fast, and the water was dirty — and about 60 hikers and campers in the area would have faced a dangerous trek out if help hadn't arrived. "It's quite fortunate that the road out, the logging road, was not compromised by this higher water," Shepherd told CBC News. "That would have been another problem, if all the vehicles were also stuck on the wrong side of a washout." As soon as rescuers realized that the hikers and campers were stranded, they set up a staging area and flew them out, after which they were taken to the trailhead to retrieve their vehicles. Shepherd said the stranded guests ranged from 10 years old all the way to about 70 years of age. "It took about seven hours total from when we were called to when we had everybody out," he said. "And we also did another flight out to a campground that's outside the park, in a further remote area." The rescuer said that a tarn — a mountain lake in the park, which has historically been popular for its rugged climbs and landscapes — had cut a channel and caused the flooding. "We noted that the upper tarn, below Bugaboo and Crescent Spires, had cut a deep channel through the glacier ice that has historically held back the tarn on that side," Shepherd told CBC News. "So the tarn was actually flowing out the opposite side that it normally flows out." Shepherd commended the rescuers for the operation, which he said was staffed entirely by volunteers, and he was glad that campers didn't have to stay up overnight or try to brave the creek on their own. The park has much of its core area closed indefinitely, while B.C. Parks staff investigate the extent of the flooding damage.
