Communities in Shelburne County evacuated as wildfire burns near Barrington

RCMP has closed Highway 103 between the Birchtown and Riverhead exits as a wildfire burns out of control.

Residents living in Barrington Lake and Clyde River are under a mandatory evacuation order.

Residents in all communities from Port Clyde along Highway 309 to the intersection of Oak Park Road and Highway 3 in Barrington West are also being told to evacuate. The Highway 103 closure has moved from Exit 29 to Exit 30.

The Nova Scotia Department of Resources and Renewables says the fire is about 6,270 hectares. 40 DNRR staff, more than 40 volunteer firefighters, two DNRR helicopters and one water bomber from Newfoundland and Labrador are on scene.

DNRR says Red Cross, Ground Search and Rescue, and EMO are helping with evacuees. Power may be interrupted. Campfires in provincial parks in western Nova Scotia are banned.