In the city of Halifax in eastern Canada, 14,000 people have been brought to safety because of a forest fire. The fire damaged around 200 houses in the province of Nova Scotia – and is not yet under control.
Thousands of people have been evacuated because of forest fires in the eastern Canadian province of Nova Scotia. City of Halifax Deputy Fire Chief David Meldrum said about 14,000 people have been asked to evacuate their homes. The provincial administration announced on Monday evening that, according to initial estimates, around 200 buildings had been damaged. Most of the affected homes are about 30 minutes’ drive northwest of downtown Halifax.
state of emergency in Halifax
The fire broke out on Sunday in the town of Upper Tantallon, northwest of Halifax, damaging or destroying dozens of homes there. There were initially no reports of injuries. Nova Scotia authorities said the blaze had covered an area of about eight square kilometers. Meldrum said firefighters were focused on fighting local fires in residential areas to protect buildings and prevent the blaze from spreading. The fire is still not under control but has not spread significantly.
A state of emergency was declared in Halifax on Sunday. The mayor of the city of 430,000, Mike Savage, spoke of an “unprecedented” fire. “The fact that we haven’t had to enlarge the evacuation zone since yesterday gives hope that the situation may have stabilized,” he said at a press conference. The situation “remains dangerous,” he warned.
No rain in sight
The wind that had fanned the fire at first turned and drove the fire in the direction from which it had come. The authorities warned that the danger had not yet been averted. Only rainfall could help control the fire, they said. No precipitation is forecast for the coming days.
Wildfires raged in eight of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories on Monday. For several years, the country has repeatedly been hit by extreme weather events, which, according to experts, are increasing in intensity and frequency due to climate change.