45 days later, Nova Scotia’s largest wildfire is under control

After a month and a half of continuous firefighting efforts, the Long Lake wildfire complex is now under control, according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

DNR provided the update Saturday morning, saying the fire is responding well to suppression efforts.

“It is not expected to grow, but it is still not extinguished,” states a post from DNR on X.

The Long Lake wildfire has been a long, hard battle. Ignited by lightning on Aug. 13, the fire quickly grew, aided by dry and hot weather conditions and at times very high winds.

Firefighters from across the country came to support local crews and DNR staff. Bodies from Ontario, Quebec and P.E.I were on the ground aided by equipment from the Northwest Territories.

Despite the team effort, crews could not stop the ferocious fire from spreading, leading to 505 homes being evacuated and eventually 20 lost. All of those who had been evacuated have since been able to return home.

The news on Saturday allows many to take a sigh of relief, but the fight is not yet over.

The fire is still estimated at 8,468 acres with multiple fires inside the active zone. Crews remain on scene, tackling individual hotspots.

The DNR said typically crews continue working until the wildfire is fully extinguished; however, in the case of Long Lake, winter may arrive before the fire is fully out.

“If that happens, the fire won’t be a threat during the winter, monitoring will continue until firefighting can resume in spring,” it said.

Burn ban status

While Annapolis County has borne the brunt of the damage, the whole province has dealt with high temperatures and drought conditions, favourable for wildfires.

On July 30, the province put into effect a burn ban to prohibit any open fire or fire that uses wood as the fuel.

As conditions improve, the burn ban has been lifted as of Friday night for all parts of the province with the exception of Annapolis County.

“It’s been a very challenging wildfire season, and I thank all Nova Scotians for co-operating with the prevention measures we put in place,” Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources, said in a press release.

Daily burn restrictions may remain in place for some areas. The province will update it’s BurnSafe map to display these conditions.