All wildfires in Nova Scotia under control more than two weeks after they started

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This article was published 13/06/2023 (865 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HALIFAX – All of Nova Scotia’s wildfires are now under control, more than two weeks after an unprecedented string of fires broke out in the southwestern corner of the province and in the Halifax area.

The provincial government has announced that the huge Barrington Lake wildfire in Shelburne County, which started May 27, is finally under control — the last of the wildfires to be tamed.

That fire grew to more than 235 square kilometres, the largest recorded in the province’s history.

The fire forced more than 6,000 people from their homes and destroyed 60 houses and cottages, as well as 150 other structures.

Firefighters from the province’s Natural Resources Department, the Department of National Defence, Newfoundland and Labrador and the United States are still on the scene to extinguish hot spots.

Meanwhile, the province has lifted a provincewide burn ban, and the remaining restrictions on travel and activities in the province’s woodlands were lifted as of 3 p.m. local time.

Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton issued a statement saying residents must remain vigilant about fire safety as the forest fire season is just starting.

“Everyone has a responsibility to prevent forest fires and keep their fellow Nova Scotians safe,” Rushton said. “That’s why we have the burn-safe map, which tells Nova Scotians when they can and cannot burn.”

The provincewide burn ban was announced May 29, a day after a wildfire started in the suburbs north of Halifax. That fire forced 16,000 people out of their homes, and destroyed 151 homes and dozens of other structures.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2023.