Fire under control in West Porters Lake, burning ban remains
Posted Jun 16, 2010 05:21:49 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A wildfire in West Porters Lake is now under control.
Firefighters decided it was safe for them to go home, last night – but officials say they’re still ready to go if the flames flare up again.
Firefighters put out all the fire they could see last evening and packed up around dusk.
Halifax Fire Services platoon chief Bryson Wilson says they were confident about bringing everyone in.
“It’s very much under control,” he said. “There will still be some hot spots that they will seek out today, so there will be fire crews there today to make sure that the fire doesn’t have any chance to spread anywhere else.”
The weather’s expected to be dry and breezy again today, which is what helped the fire spread like it did, but Wilson says firefighters are optimistic there won’t be any further trouble.
“The temperature dropped last night which will help cool the ground and stop the spread of fire if there was any undergound,” he said. “So talking with DNR, prospects are really good.”
HRM councillor David Hendsbee says he was comfortable with the decision to send firefighters away and allow evacuated residents to return to their homes.
“It’s too dangerous to go in the woods at night and the place has been well soaked,” he said. “If there should be any occurrence, 911’s not far away.”
Hendsbee says he’s hoping everyone has learned a lesson about lighting fires in dry, windy conditions – and is reminding area residents that a complete fire ban is now in effect.
“Any open burning, especially in high winds is not safe to do, so I wish everybody will exercise some caution,” he said.
About 15 homes were evacuated, along with visitors to Porters Lake Provincial Park. Residents were allowed to return home around 9 p.m. Tuesday and so far there are no reports of any property damage.
