N.S. firefighters head home after helping to battle large Sask. wildfire

3 week_ago 8

Nova Scotia

A radical of Nova Scotia firefighters began their travel location Friday aft a astir two-week deployment successful Saskatchewan helping to conflict a monster wildfire in that province.

Team was deployed to Shoe occurrence adjacent Little Bear Lake successful bluish portion of province

Andrew Lam · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 13, 2025 5:04 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 13

A assemblage  of radical   dressed successful  t-shirts saying "Nova Scotia Wildfire Team" look   astatine  different  idiosyncratic   pointing astatine  a map.

The Nova Scotia wildfire squad receives a briefing astir the Shoe fire, adjacent Little Bear Lake successful bluish Saskatchewan. A unit of 20 firefighters positive a Department of Natural Resources typical near from Halifax for their deployment connected May 29. (Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources)

A radical of Nova Scotia firefighters began their travel location Friday aft a astir two-week deployment successful Saskatchewan helping to conflict a monster wildfire in that province.

According to Scott Tingley, manager of wood extortion with Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources, the unit of 20 firefighters and a section typical was assigned to what's called the Shoe occurrence adjacent Little Bear Lake successful bluish Saskatchewan.

He said it's 1 of the largest fires present burning successful Canada and that the Nova Scotia unit was supporting efforts to support communities. An update Thursday connected the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency's website said the occurrence had burned more than 550,000 hectares.

"They've been moving successful precise challenging conditions," said Tingley.

"They've been doing immoderate mop-up operations, conscionable making definite immoderate of the blistery spots … that are astir values [property oregon assets that could beryllium damaged by fire] are wholly extinguished."

The unit besides helped to reenforce power lines, which is a maneuver wherever imaginable substance is removed from the way of a fire.

A squad  of wildland firefighters successful  idiosyncratic   protective instrumentality  is seen connected  a ungraded  level  with cars and billowing fume  successful  the background.

A squad of Nova Scotia firefighters locomotion toward the Shoe occurrence carrying axes and shovels. (Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources)

In Nova Scotia, it's been a quiescent wildfire play truthful far, Tingley said, pointing to regular rainfall and bedewed conditions through much of April and May. 

He added that the fig of fires and hectares burned are astatine "historic lows." That's akin to past year, which was the slightest progressive wildfire play connected record. There person been immoderate tiny fires successful the state this year.

It's difficult to marque semipermanent predictions astir weather, Tingley said. But based connected "seasonal briefings" his department has received, helium said determination are "some indications … that there's imaginable for warmer conditions successful wide for the region."  

A motortruck  is seen adjacent   powerfulness  lines and a enactment     of trees wherever  a agleam  reddish  and orangish  occurrence  appears to beryllium  raging. The full   country  is tinted orange.

The Shoe fire, adjacent Little Bear Lake. Tingley said this occurrence is presently 1 of the largest successful Saskatchewan and successful Canada. (Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources)

In 2023, wildfires tore done parts of the Upper Tantallon country and Shelburne County, destroying 200 homes. That year, unit from different parts of Canada and the United States assisted Nova Scotia's firefighting efforts during what would beryllium the astir devastating wildfire play connected record.

For the state to present beryllium capable to nonstop firefighters to assistance others, Tingley said, is "a precise bully feeling."

Firefighting resources crossed Canada are strained, according to the enactment that co-ordinates resources and accusation betwixt agencies.

"The existent concern is reasonably terrible crossed Canada, peculiarly wrong the Prairie provinces into British Columbia and Ontario arsenic well," said Alexandria Jones, a spokesperson for the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

"We've had to scope retired to our planetary partners for assistance."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Lam (they/she) is simply a Chinese-Canadian and trans newsman for CBC Nova Scotia. They are funny successful 2SLGBTQIA+, labour and data-driven stories. Andrew besides has a nonrecreational inheritance successful information analytics and visualization.

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