Dangerous firefighting conditions expected in Nova Scotia wildfires 2023 - 16,000 Eastern Canadians evacuated
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"There's going to be an increased dangerous situation for the firefighters that are on the ground. Safety is going to be paramount in all our tactical decisions."
Wildfires in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia has led to thousands of people being evacuated and a State of Emergency has been declared.
The number of people who have been forced from their homes is about 16,429, Erica Fleck, Division Chief of Emergency Management of the Halifax Regional Municipality, said in a news conference Monday, according to an article on CNN.
Follow the link to see a video from the area, showing very poor visibility for fleeing residents trying to outrun the fires by car through burning forests.
Photo Credit: Canada has been hit hard with forest fires lately: earlier in May Alberta was experiencing more than 100 out of control forest fires. Now Nova Scotia and the Halifax region is being struck by a difficult situation. On the cover photo, a wildfire about one kilometre north from the Saulteux First Nation's community hall. (Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs/ Facebook)
Record breaking heat during May - very dry conditions
The Halifax region is experiencing record breaking heat and the vegetation is very dry. Officials say more than 25,000 acres are affected and fires have been deemed “out of control” by officials.
Fires in the urban wildlife interface have also destroyed multiple buildings and caused a lot of smoke to cover the skies over the region. As of Monday, more than 16,000 people were forced to evacuate the area around Halifax, Nova Scotia’s largest city.
The fires have damaged at least 200 homes or structures, the Halifax municipality said in a Facebook post, quoting first responders’ initial visual inspections.
More than 200 fire crews from agencies across the province have been sent to help. Officials say there are 35 fire trucks, two helicopters and a water bomber being used as officials warned of wind gusts of up to 18 meters per second / 40 mph, which could make the situation in the area worse.
"Dangerous challenges for firefighers"
According to a May 30th article on the CBC, officials say crews made progress fighting an out-of-control wildfire outside Halifax overnight, but a change in the weather today is expected to pose a "dangerous" challenge for firefighters battling the blaze.
David Steeves of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources said winds from the southwest are expected to be even stronger during the afternoon, and the temperatures are expected to rise.
"We are hopeful that we can make some gain today, but we'll have to wait and see how the environment is going to work with us on that," Steeves said during a press conference.
"There's going to be an increased dangerous situation for the firefighters that are on the ground. Safety is going to be paramount in all our tactical decisions."