Halifax-area wildfire still out of control, 'many' structures destroyed

Officials say a wildfire that began in the Upper Tantallon, N.S., area Sunday afternoon is ongoing and still not under control.

Firefighters in the Halifax area are preparing for another overnight response to the “very challenging” and out-of-control wildfire that began in Upper Tantallon over the weekend.

About 16,000 residents in the area southwest of Halifax have been asked to leave their homes as of Monday, and officials are urging those who have been evacuated to stay away as the fire response continues.

Halifax deputy fire chief David Meldrum said during a news conference Monday evening that firefighters are focused on saving properties and preventing fires from spreading north. He said that assessment of damage has begun and it’s too early to know how many homes have been destroyed by the wildfire.

“This fire has not been contained. This fire is not under control,” Meldrum said.

“Today the fire did not spread appreciably, and that is thanks to weather, the work of firefighters on the ground, and the work of the air units from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.”

David Steeves, forest resources technician with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, said the fire was measured at 788 hectares in the morning and remains about that size as of Monday evening.

“We were able to hold that growth, so there was no significant growth today. Given the winds, there were significant concerns that the fire was going to spread in a southerly direction, but there was no significant gain or loss,” Steeves said Monday evening.