N.S. wildfires: ‘Crews made good progress’ but Long Lake blaze remains ‘out of control’

Nova Scotia said Tuesday morning that firefighters are continuing to battle the Long Lake wildfire in Annapolis Valley.

The massive wildfire, which was initially sparked by a lightning strike last week, is still estimated to be around 3,200 hectares in size.

“Crews made good progress yesterday with dozer guards and a quick strike by an air tanker group from New Brunswick,” the province said. “There are still no reports of damage to homes.”

Officials declared a state of emergency in Annapolis County on Saturday. About 100 homes were evacuated in the heavily wooded West Dalhousie area, about 125 kilometres west of Halifax.

Weekend weather played a huge role in allowing the fire to grow quickly, according to Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston.

“The dry conditions continued. The heat continued. The wind was blowing the wrong way. All terrible news when you’re facing a fire,” Houston told reporters on Monday.

Of the six wildfires burning across the province, the Long Lake fire was causing the most trouble.

“It feels like every time I receive an update, the fire has doubled again in size,” the premier said.

Fire crews on the ground include 93 Department of Natural Resources firefighters, 49 local firefighters and 22 from Ontario. Four planes from the Northwest Territories and a contracted helicopter are also battling the fire.

Five firefighters from Prince Edward Island who were helping with the Long Lake fire were moved to assist with another fire near Simonds Lake.

That fire was said to be out of control Monday morning but by the end of the day, firefighters had it under control, according to the province.

The fire, which began as a structure fire before heading into the woods, had grown to an estimated 1.75 hectares in size.

Temperatures in the town of Annapolis Royal, about 25 kilometres away from the Long Lake fire, were expected to reach a high of 21 C on Tuesday in what is forecast to be a sunny day by Environment Canada.

The agency’s forecast for the area showed little chance of rain until Friday.