News release

Update on Wildfires, June 11

Natural Resources and Renewables

The Barrington Lake wildfire in Shelburne County is still classified as “being held.”

Being held means it is not moving, but is still not under control. Also:

  • it covers 23,525 hectares (about 235 square kilometres); the reported size may fluctuate in the coming days as firefighters reach more remote areas on foot and get precise GPS measurements
  • firefighters include 70 from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR), five from Prince Edward Island, 14 from Newfoundland and Labrador, 17 from the United States and 33 from the Department of National Defence; volunteer and municipal firefighters are on call
  • air resources include two helicopters

As weather allows, DNRR helicopters will be flying over wildfires in the province and using infrared scanners to detect hot spots. This will help ground crews fully extinguish the fires. The scanning will be done between 5 and 9 a.m. and could take up to a week.

Quick Facts:

  • there is a provincewide ban on open fires; the fine is $25,000 for breaking the burn ban
  • restrictions on travel and activities in the woods remain in Shelburne County and anywhere evacuation orders are in place
  • people are asked to please remain away from all wildfire areas
  • people should not operate drones over active forest fires; drones can interfere with the suppression effort and pose a danger to aircraft and first responders

Additional Resources:

Information related to the wildfires is available at: https://novascotia.ca/alerts/

Information for Shelburne fires is available at:

Information for the Tantallon area fire is available at:

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