Shelburne County wildfire now under control

The Department of Natural Resources says a massive wildfire in Shelburne County, N.S., that began burning more than two weeks ago is finally under control.

The department said the final size of the fire is 23,525 hectares (around 235 square kilometres).

"It certainly is good news, but the fight is far from over," David Steeves, a technician of forest resources with the department, told CBC Radio's Mainstreet Nova Scotia.

An estimated 60 homes and a total of 150 structures were destroyed by the wildfire, which started near Barrington Lake.

The fire prompted the evacuations of 3,200 homes, displacing 6,700 people — roughly half of Shelburne County's population.

Steeves said more than 100 firefighters are on the scene in Shelburne County doing "mop-up," meaning the firefighters start at the fire's perimeter and move toward the centre in a grid pattern to put out hot spots.

He said it involves looking for potential hot spots under things like large rocks and moss, and is one of the most important parts of putting out the fire.

The task is labour intensive and firefighters sometimes get down on their hands and knees, using their hands to check the ground temperature to ensure everything's OK.

Steeves said it's difficult to predict how long the mop-up phase will last, but a department news release said it could take days or weeks.

The fire was first announced on the department's Twitter page on May 27. It noted the wildfire was "flaring up but contained at 13 hectares with hose lines around it. DNRR crew on scene and helicopter enroute. No infrastructure at risk."

Later that day it was deemed out of control and quickly ballooned in size.

In a separate news release, the province announced Tuesday that a burn ban was lifted at 3 p.m. AT. There are still restrictions on burning, including on the time of day, and there's a $25,000 fine for burning when not allowed. The province said the restrictions are updated daily.

Last week, a ban on travelling into the woods imposed in the wake of the recent wildfires was lifted for all of Nova Scotia, expect Shelburne County and any remaining evacuation areas. The province ended all remaining restrictions on Tuesday.

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