Residents in a rural area of Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore were instructed to leave their homes on Thursday evening due to the ongoing Mooseland Road wildfire and challenging dry conditions hampering firefighting efforts. An emergency alert was issued around 8 p.m. AT, mandating the evacuation of residents along a 22-kilometre stretch from civic address 4315 Mooseland Rd. down to Highway 7, affecting approximately 100 to 150 people according to the Halifax Regional Municipality.
By 6 p.m. AT, the wildfire, located about 100 kilometers east of the city in the Jacket Lake area, had expanded to over 300 hectares. The Department of Natural Resources reported that the wildfire started on Wednesday evening and grew significantly by Thursday.
Jim Rudderham, the director of fleet and wildfire management for the Department of Natural Resources, mentioned the challenging weather conditions and dry forests that hindered firefighting efforts before the evacuation order was issued. Evacuees were directed to register at Red Cross evacuation centers in Musquodoboit Rural High in Middle Musquodoboit and Marine Drive Academy in Sheet Harbour.
The fire, which began late Wednesday evening, was fueled by dry and hot conditions on Thursday. The Department of Natural Resources stated that two helicopters and four fixed-wing water bombers were on site, with additional support from two fixed-wing water bombers coming from Newfoundland.
Firefighting operations were scheduled to pause overnight for safety reasons and resume at first light on Friday. Nova Scotia Power assisted by shutting off power to a portion of the affected area to support first responders, resulting in power outages for 167 customers in the impacted areas on Thursday.
Weather forecasts indicated that showers were expected to diminish after midnight on Thursday, with a mix of sun and clouds anticipated for Friday. Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency were aiding the Department of Natural Resources in their firefighting operations, advising people to steer clear of the area.