'Difficult day' expected as Halifax-area fire continues to burn out of control
CBC
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Officials are expecting yet another challenging day, as crews from across Nova Scotia battle a wildfire burning out of control outside Halifax that has already consumed 151 homes and businesses.
David Steeves of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources said the fire in the suburbs of Hammonds Plains, Upper Tantallon and Pockwock has grown by roughly 49 hectares to 837 hectares.
Steeves, a technician of forest resources, said the growth is not surprising given the dry and hot weather conditions on Tuesday.
He said Wednesday's forecast is also not favourable, with dry southerly winds expected to gust up to 20 km/h.
Steeves said that could create dangerous conditions for crews on the ground.
"Our situational awareness is going to be extremely high," he said during a press conference at the incident command centre in Tantallon on Wednesday morning.
The evacuation zone remains the same, and there is no update on when residents may be able to return. Steeves emphasized that the order "is not what we want to do, it's what we have to do."
During a briefing with reporters on Tuesday afternoon, Premier Tim Houston said there is now a provincewide ban on all travel and activity within Nova Scotia's forests, including hiking, fishing, camping and off-road vehicle use.
Rushton pleaded with Nova Scotians to abide by the order, noting there were seven reports of illegal burns on Tuesday after the burn ban was implemented.
"We don't take this lightly … but we cannot afford to have any more fires," Rushton told the CBC's Information Morning.
Officials said on Tuesday that 151 structures have been destroyed in the suburban communities about 25 kilometres from Halifax that are home to many who work in the city.
Terri and Lutz Kottwitz not only lost their home, but also their business.
The couple run ForestKids Early Learning in Yankeetown, which was decimated by the fast-moving fire that started Sunday afternoon in the Westwood Hills subdivision.
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