Man, 22, charged in connection with largest wildfire in N.S. history

Nova Scotia’s Natural Resources Department says a 22-year-old man has been charged in connection with a massive wildfire in Shelburne County last spring.

Nova Scotia’s Natural Resources Department says a 22-year-old man has been charged in connection with a massive wildfire in Shelburne County last spring.

Dalton Clark Stewart of Villagedale was charged Wednesday under the Forests Act with:

Stewart is scheduled to appear in Shelburne provincial court on March 7.

The charges stem from the Barrington Lake wildfire, which first broke out on May 26, 2023, and was finally brought under control on June 13 and extinguished on July 26.

The fire grew to 23,379 hectares, the largest recorded in the province's history.

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

It was the last in a string of spring wildfires in the province to be tamed.