Damage too early to tell

Nova Scotia to provide $500 in aid to evacuees as blazes still burn

HALIFAX — It’s still too early to tell how many homes have been lost so far due to wildfires near Halifax, Halifax Fire deputy chief Dave Meldrum said Monday morning.

Premier Tim Houston said while they don’t have an exact count, it is “dozens of houses.”

Meldrum said there was some good news though: There were no reports of missing persons or injuries in relation to the wildfire.

“Less good news is there are numerous affected structures, some damaged and many destroyed in the Westwood subdivision, also in the vicinity of Hammonds Plains Road, particularly near Yankeetown Road,” Meldrum told reporters near the fire scene in Upper Tantallon.

While Meldrum couldn’t provide an estimate of homes that had been damaged or destroyed, he suggested the number would be higher than 10, which was an early estimate given by RCMP Sunday afternoon. However, he did note there have been no reports of major structures damaged at this time.

Just before 1 p.m. on Monday, the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables estimated the wildfire covered 788 hectares. At 3:30 p.m., Scott Tingley, manager of forest protection with DNRR, said the fire was still the same size.

“There’s been minimal growth on that fire in terms of wildland fire activity,” Tingley said. “That’s a glimmer of hope.”

Halifax Regional Municipality declared a state of emergency late Sunday night, allowing it better access to funds, a higher level of intergovernmental co-ordination and to assist in organizing businesses and the evacuation of residents.

As the blaze continued to spread, evacuation orders were expanded from the fire’s origins in Westwood Hills to the Yankeetown (Highland Park) subdivision, Haliburton Hills, Glen Arbour, Pockwock Road, White Hills subdivision, Lucasville Road all the way to Sackville Drive, Maplewood, Voyageur Way including St. George Boulevard and all side streets, Mccabe Lake area and Indigo Shores.

Meldrum said roughly 14,000 people were evacuated Sunday.

Shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday, nightfall caused crews to back out of the forest and concentrate their efforts on extinguishing structures on fire, preventing structures from catching on fire and fighting spot fires.

“Thanks to their work, this fire largely has been held from crossing Hammonds Plains Road to the east and it’s been held from crossing the Pockwock Road to the north,” Meldrum said.

But there’s still a long road ahead.

As of Monday afternoon, there were many crews on scene, including 170 from HRM, 32 from DNRR and seven from the Department of National Defence continuing to work on the blaze Monday, as well as crews and trucks from Hantsport, Windsor and Brooklyn volunteer departments.

Meldrum explained there are areas without hydrant protection, where tankers have to be used to supply pumper trucks with water.

A water bomber from Newfoundland and Labrador and two helicopters from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables are also pitching in.

Meldrum said the plan for today is to have municipal firefighters protect structures as the fire continues to burn out of control, while the water bomber will be working at the head of the fire.

“We have some gusty winds and those are a concern,” he said.

As of Monday morning, the wind had changed direction and had the possibility of pushing the fire backwards.

However, Meldrum said forest technicians have advised there is “still possibility for significant fire, even though it may turn around and go back the way it came.”

GOVERNMENT FUNDING

On Monday afternoon, Houston announced that each household that evacuated their home Sunday in southwest Nova Scotia or following a wildfire that began in Westwood Hills, a subdivision in Upper Tantallon, will be provided with $500.

“We can only imagine the fear that you’re feeling,” Houston said during a news conference at the province’s Emergency Management Office in Dartmouth.

“The uncertainty that you’re feeling about when you will be able to return to your home, what you might be returning to and we know that the fear must be just completely unimaginable.”

Houston said the province is working with the Canadian Red Cross to make the money available to eligible families as soon as possible. Details on eligibility and how people can register will be available today.

Nova Scotia will also be covering mileage for volunteer firefighters who have had to travel to another community to fight fires, including wildfires.

NO RELIEF IN FORECAST

Allister Aalders, Saltwire’s weather specialist, said there really isn’t any relief for firefighters in the forecast.

“What we really need is rain and light winds and there’s little of that in the forecast,” Aalders said.

Aalders said there will be northerly winds Monday, gusting between 30 and 50 kilometres per hour during the day before becoming light and more westerly tonight.

And the wind gusts will continue throughout the week, along with temperatures that will be on the rise as the week progresses, reaching the high 20s and low 30s.

Nova Scotia Power has temporarily disconnected power for roughly 4,000 customers in HRM areas affected by the wildfires to allow firefighters to work safely. Rogers also noted some customers may be experiencing “an interruption to their wireless services” in those areas.

Meldrum said residents should be prepared for several days to come as there is no timeline on when the evacuation order will be lifted. Under the evacuation order, residents are not allowed to return to their homes until authorities say it is safe to do so.

“These fires don’t simply extinguish today and you’re done,” Meldrum said. “There’s significant work that’s required to come in and dig any hidden fires out, make sure there’s no smouldering fires that’s going to reignite.”

He said the fire resulted in a five-alarm fire, “which is the first use of a fifth alarm that many of us can remember in this community.”

Reflecting on the Herring Cove fire in 2009, Meldrum said 5,000 people were evacuated at the time.

Meldrum said Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency put out an “all-call” for every able-bodied firefighter in their system on Sunday, which has been taxing on its resources as they still need to maintain fire protection in all other districts of HRM.

Meldrum said an inventory of damage and destroyed structures will need to be done in the coming days, but noted “it will take some time.”

Comfort centres have been set up at the Black Point Community Centre and the Beaver Bank Kinsac Centre at 1583 Beaver Bank Rd. Food and water will be provided at the comfort centres. An evacuation centre has been set up at the Canada Games Centre at 26 Thomas Raddall Dr. to support residents affected by the fires, especially those without insurance or family support.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined and will be under investigation by the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.

In the meantime, a provincewide ban on open fires has been put in place until further notice. This also applies to fires in provincial parks and private campgrounds.

Meanwhile, an out-of-control wildfire in the Barrington area continued to rage on Monday. Just before 1 p.m. on Monday, the blaze had grown to 6,270 hectares.

A special air quality statement stemming from the wildfire smoke remained in effect Monday.