Williams Lake fire extinguished
Posted May 22, 2012 09:20:11 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Firefighters say the brush fire that scorched a large swath of forest near Williams Lake has been extinguished, thanks in part to a timely cloudburst.
A Halifax fire spokesperson firefighters returned from assessing the scene and reported the fire is out.
“There’s only some very minor smoldering materials, like anthills and whatnot,” Dave Meldrum tells News 95.7. “They’ve checked to see if this fire is deep-seated into the ground and it appears that it is not.”
Meldrum says crews will remain on scene to monitor the scene and ensure there are no flareups from hot spots.
A release from HRM sent just after 8 a.m. Tuesday stated the fire’s status had been upgraded from “contained,” and the evacuation order for the area was lifted.
Meldrum says the fire index in HRM was at moderate to high on Monday, but fortunately, conditions shifted dramatically on Tuesday morning.
“It was a nice dry weekend with some pretty brisk winds, which means rapid fire spread if a fire should start,” he said. “Happily today, it’s just the opposite, we’ve got a steady fall of rain and that’s the best sort of help we could ask for in terms of weather.”
Dozens of Purcells Cove Road residents were evacuated Monday evening as the flames raged nearby, sending billowing smoke into the air over the Spryfield area.
The fire covered an estimated 15 hectares of land and forced dozens of Purcells Cove Road residents to evacuate their homes Monday evening.
Meldrum says there was no property damage or injuries, but says it’s still not clear what ignited the blaze.
“The fire is under investigation right now and I can’t say how long that might take, but certainly if and when a cause is determined, that report will be made public,” he said.
The fire started around 4 p.m. Monday between Purcells Cove Road and Herring Cove Road in the Williams Lake area. Firefighters were dispatched to Colpitt Lake Road.
