Porters Lake Wildfire Under Control

The wildfire in the Porters Lake area of Halifax Regional Municipality that reached an estimated 50 hectares, is now considered under control. About 60 per cent is contained and crews remain on site to ensure it is properly extinguished. The two helicopter crews that were on the scene today, May 24, have been released from duty.

“The dry, warm and windy conditions across the province pose significant risk in our forests, so we must remain vigilant about fire safety,” said Iain Rankin, Minister of Lands and Forestry. “These fires create anxiety within communities and have the potential to cause serious harm to homes, infrastructure and our natural environment. Many agencies are called to respond and I would like to thank everyone who was involved in the effort this weekend.”

The fire started at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 23, on the north side of Highway 107. The fire quickly intensified and covered difficult terrain. Dozens of the province’s highly trained wildfire fighters have been on scene, including up to three helicopter crews at one time and onsite command.

As the wildfire threatened a nearby residential area, Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency ordered the evacuation of about 1,000 residents. That evacuation order has now been lifted.

Quick Facts:

• no homes were lost as a result of this fire
• the cause of the fire is under investigation
• updates about the wildfire will be provided over social media @NSLandsForestry
• Nova Scotia experiences an average of 225 wildfires each season

Additional Resources:

Burn restrictions across the province are updated daily here: https://novascotia.ca/BurnSafe/

Fire weather forecasts are available here: https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestprotection/wildfire/forecasts.asp

Media Guide to Forest Fires is available at: https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestprotection/wildfire/media-guide/