Wildfire burning near Weymouth still out of control
CBC
Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources and Renewables says a forest fire that's burning southeast of Weymouth, N.S., grew overnight and is still out of control.
But spokesperson Scott Tingley said he's expecting crews to make progress today as dozens of firefighters and department resources battle the blaze near the community of Hassett.
Tingley said more resources are being sent to the scene in Digby County, including provincial helicopters.
He noted it's expected to be another dry and windy day.
"Firefighters will have their hands full, but we expect to make some gains today," Tingley told CBC Information Morning host Portia Clark.
He said the fire is spread over an area of roughly 80 hectares, but emphasized that the flames are "patchy" and that the entire area is not on fire.
The fire started around noon Monday and was estimated to be about eight hectares in size by mid-afternoon. But Tingley noted smoke conditions made it difficult to see and provide an accurate estimate of the fire's size at that time.
"It's not a big surprise that it got to that size [80 hectares], given the conditions," he said.
RCMP said Monday they had evacuated six homes in the community of Hassett.
Residents were told they could go to the Havelock Wesleyan Church, which is being used as a comfort centre and command centre for the operation.
Tingley said some homes in the area did voluntarily evacuate Monday evening. He said residents should remain vigilant, but the department has not recommended any further evacuations at this point.
Tingley said crews worked into the evening, went home for some rest and were back on scene around 7 a.m. Tuesday.