3 days ago
Helicopter crashes fighting Nova Scotia wildfire, pilot ‘conscious and talking'
A helicopter involved in fighting a major Nova Scotia wildfire has crashed in shallow water, authorities say, with the pilot reportedly conscious.
The Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources said the crash happened just before 4:30 p.m. on Friday and involved a helicopter fighting the Long Lake wildfires.
A brief statement said the helicopter had crashed in the water.
'The pilot was conscious and talking with firefighters who quickly reached the aircraft,' the statement read. 'By 6 p.m. he was rescued from his aircraft and taken for medical assessment.'
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
The government said it would not be releasing the pilot's name.
'I'm relieved the pilot was rescued quickly and wish them a speedy recovery,' Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston wrote in a social media post.
Story continues below advertisement
'Thank you to everyone who responded so quickly to reach the aircraft and provide support.'
The helicopter and its pilot were part of a massive wildfire-fighting operation in the Annapolis Valley, concentrating on Long Lake, where 50 homes have been evacuated.
Long Lake Wildfire spokesperson Dave Steeves previously told reporters that there has been some extreme fire behaviour connected to the wildfire over the past day and a half.
'Our flame lengths were quite high, which is an indicator to basically how dangerous the situation is that our crews were dealing with on the ground,' he said.
'Things have dropped back a little bit, but there is still the potential for things to get dangerous very, very quickly.'
— with files from Global News' Kevin Nielson
