Two helicopters, a CL-415 water bomber from Newfoundland and Labrador, and 40 crew members continue to fight an uncontrolled fire in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, which has grown significantly since earlier this week.
The fire near Lake South Horseshoe in eastern Yarmouth County was about 31,000 hectares on Wednesday afternoon, according to a provincial official.
That’s compared to about 1,000 acres on Tuesday night and an estimate of 25 acres early on Tuesday morning.
“The numbers are likely to fluctuate until we drop smoke to get a better visualization of the fire and be able to measure it accurately,” said Kara McCurdy, a wildfire prevention officer at the Department of Natural Resources, in an interview with Wednesday for CBC Nova Scotia’s Information Morning.
McCurdy said the fire, which began Monday afternoon, is still considered out of control.
The smoke from a wildfire from Yarmouth County spread through the Gulf of Maine and is now probably visible from Boston! pic.twitter.com/f1ETGqYsx4
– @ CBmesonet
The fire is “still moving actively, but with humidity last night, at night and this morning, it’s about 80 percent and light winds will help reduce the spread of the fire,” McCurdy said.
Satellite images shared on social media show smoke from a wildfire sweeping west through Yarmouth County and the Gulf of Maine.
“Smoke was certainly a problem throughout the province, and the plume was moving in many communities in Yarmouth County,” McCurdy said. “I’m not sure today what the situation may be with the weaker wind.”
She said there had been about 15 fires across the province in the past two days, resulting in low humidity and strong winds. However, they were removed quickly.
There are currently restrictions on burning in Queens, Shelburn and Yarmouth counties.
Man-made
The department said Tuesday that the fire was in a remote area and there was no risk to homes or businesses at the time.
McCurdy said the province is still investigating the blaze, but is convinced it was caused by people, as there has been no lightning in the remote area in the past week.
DNR said on Tuesday that the fire was in a remote area and there is currently no risk to homes or businesses. (Tim Dusset / Facebook)
“The only access to the area is by off-road vehicles. So there must be someone who will go fishing or off-road vehicle in the area as well,” she said.
“Someone might have stopped for lunch and lit a campfire, smoked on the river bank, or even had debris accumulated on the muffler of an all-terrain vehicle.
Safety of firefighters
She said the crews were withdrawn from the line for safety reasons as the CL-415 water bomber helped put out a firefight Tuesday.
McCurdy said firefighting was stopped overnight due to increased risks to firefighters and limited support.
When the sun sets over Yarmouth, pic.twitter.com/paK8DxAaBo
– @ IAFFLocal2094
“Under these circumstances, crews often start work at first light and then work until dusk, after which the DNR and fire departments will monitor the active fire at night and work to protect the structures,” McCurdy said.
She said the area was mostly peat bog and black spruce, making it difficult to cross.
“It’s almost like walking in deep snow, you know it was like walking on pillows. So it can be difficult to get through and bring equipment to it, and with that limited access, they have to carry equipment or move it from a plane, “McCurdy said.
Weather conditions
CBC meteorologist Ryan Snowden said the easterly winds on Wednesday were weaker than on Tuesday and are expected to continue to weaken in the evening.
“Sea air mass has moved through the night and will remain in place until tonight. Higher relative humidity should help at least somewhat slow the spread of the fire today,” he said.
CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoden said that despite the possibility of rain in the forecast for Wednesday night, it will not be significant enough to have a real impact on the fire. (Ryan Snowden / CBC)
Although there is still a chance of rain on Wednesday night, Snowden said it was not significant enough to have a real impact on the fire. With the return of the sun on Thursday, the relative humidity will drop in the range of 35-45 percent in the afternoon.
“With the sunrise, northwest winds in the range of 10-20 km / h are on their way to Thursday,” Snoden said. “These winds will blow smoke from the fire to Shelburn and Queens counties.
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