N.S. using infrared scanners to detect wildfire hot spots as more residents cleared to return home
CBC
Authorities in the Halifax area lifted additional evacuation orders on Saturday, allowing more residents to return home after fleeing wildfires, while the provincial government announced it's using infrared technology to detect any hot spots.
As of 7:35 p.m. local time, the Halifax Regional Municipality said the only areas still under evacuation orders are the:
Thousands were uprooted from their homes when large wildfires engulfed the area in late May. Officials say hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the blazes, which they say are no longer growing but not yet under control.
The Nova Scotia government announced on Saturday that it has started using helicopters and infrared scanners to find hot spots at wildfires in the province.
In a news release, the province said the scanning would be done between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. AT, depending on the weather. It expects the scanning could take up to a week to complete and said this will help ground crews extinguish the fires.
The helicopters are from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The largest wildfire, in Shelburne County, is estimated at 23,525 hectares.
The provincial government said that about 90 DNR firefighters are battling the blaze, along with 40 firefighters and support staff from the Department of National Defence.
There's a provincewide fire ban in place.
A Nova Scotia woman was fined $28,872.50 for having a fire on private property on Friday in Lantz.