Cheers &Jeers

JEERS: WILDFIRES

The wildfire situation is not just out of control in Nova Scotia, it's devastating.

There have already been more wildfires in 2023 than in all of

2022 and as this issue of the Vanguard went to press on Monday, there two very large and serious wildfires were burning in Shelburne County and in Tantallon in HRM.

In Shelburne County, Department of Natural Resources and Renewable (DNRR) firefighters, volunteer firefighters, DNRR helicopters and New Brunswick air tankers were on the scene, battling the fire in our region that was first reported on Saturday. By the end of Sunday, 2,296 hectares had burned.

Throughout the day motorists were being detoured around sections of Highway 103 and mandatory evacuation orders were in place for residents in some communities. Imagine how frightening and stressful that was for residents having to pack up and leave their homes.

And in Tantallon, many people lost their homes as a rapid wildfire burned through subdivisions forcing authorities to order people to evacuate their homes immediately. Many have nothing to return home to.

It is so dry in our Nova Scotia woods. With barely any rainfall in May the situation hasn't improved at all.

For much of May, western Nova Scotia has been under complete

‘no burn' restrictions. Frankly, we were a bit surprised to see those restrictions relaxed somewhat on May 25 and 26 when burning was again allowed after 7 p.m.

We were also surprised that as of Sunday there hadn't been a ban placed on recreational travel in the woods.

Many things can lead to wildfires – human causes, lightning strikes, discarded lit cigarettes, etc. But there are also things that people may not consider, like the heat from the exhaust of an offhighway vehicle that may be traveling trails in the woods, idling over tinder-dry grass and brush.

People tend not to do anything unless they're told they absolutely can't. And even then, they don't always follow the rules or restrictions. You know, the ‘you can't tell me what to do,' mentality. Shockingly, as much of Nova Scotia was experiencing wildfires on Sunday, someone witnessed a person lighting a large bonfire alongside some trees in a provincial park. This was after DNRR had placed a ban on burning in provincial parks on Sunday. The person witnessing this swam across a lake to put the fire out.

By Sunday evening, DNRR went further saying that, “setting fires for any reason is prohibited in woods/within 1,000 feet of woods in Queens, Lunenburg, Shelburne, Yarmouth, Digby, Annapolis & Kings counties, including private campground & backyard fires.”

For everyone's sake and safety, let's hope people adhere to restrictions when they are in place.

Of course, we all want to enjoy the outdoors. We've waited a long time for warmer weather to arrive. But we don't want to see our summer, our enjoyment, or our homes and businesses go up in flames.

If Mother Nature can't help us, then we have to help each other.