The federal government says it stands ready to assist the province of Nova Scotia if needed as a massive wildfire burning near the capital, Halifax, forces thousands in the region to flee.
“The wildfire situation in Nova Scotia is incredibly serious – and we stand ready to provide any federal support and assistance needed,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet Monday.
“We’re keeping everyone affected in our thoughts, and we’re thanking those who are working hard to keep people safe.”
A total of 13 active wildfires were burning in the province as of Monday morning.
In the Halifax region, a local state of emergency has been declared because of the blaze that started Sunday afternoon in Tantallon.
The exurban community is roughly a 30-minute drive northwest of downtown Halifax.
Halifax wildfire map.
Michael Collins/Global News
Federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said in a tweet Sunday that the federal government was following the wildfires in Nova Scotia “closely” and stands “ready to help if federal assistance is required.”
“We have been in touch with Nova Scotia and our officials at the Government Operations Centre are engaging with provincial officials,” a spokesperson for Blair told Global News Monday.
“Should the province request federal assistance, we will work with them to identify and mobilize the federal resources that meet the needs they outline.”
In an update Monday morning, Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Deputy Chief Dave Meldrum told reporters that the fire burning in the Tantallon and Hammonds Plains area is “ongoing and still not under control.”
He said firefighters were called to the Westwood subdivision of Tantallon, around 3:30 p.m. Sunday, where there was a “very large and fast-moving fire.”
The blaze quickly escalated through second, third, fourth and fifth alarms, “which is the first use of a fifth alarm that many of us can remember,” Meldrum said.
Canadian Armed Forces members have been working in Alberta for weeks now as wildfires that began earlier in the month continue to rage.
Around 300 were deployed after the province requested federal help to fight the fires.
Nova Scotia is not the only Canadian province battling wildfires. More than 200 active fires are burning across the country, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
A provincial state of emergency remains in effect in Alberta, which was reporting 60 active wildfires Monday.
Earlier this month, the federal government approved a request from Alberta to assist with the wildfire situation there.
Nationally, the number of wildfires is well above average for this time of year and the area burned is nearly 13 times the average for this time of year, Natural Resources Canada said.
More to come.
— with files from The Canadian Press and Global News’ Alex Cooke.
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