Nova Scotia Firefighters Using Helicopters to Locate Shelburne Wildfire Hot Spots

Thick plumes of heavy smoke fill the Halifax sky as an out-of-control fire in a suburban community quickly spread, engulfing multiple homes and forcing the evacuation of local residents in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, on May 28, 2023. (Kelly Clark/The Canadian Press via AP)

Nova Scotia firefighters are using helicopters to scan the Shelburne County wildfire and locate hot spots.

Officials with the province’s Department of Natural Resources will be flying over the fire this week in southwest Nova Scotia and using infrared scanners to detect areas where firefighters should be dispatched.

The 235-square-kilometre Barrington Lake wildfire in Shelburne County is no longer growing but is still classified as out of control.

The Department of Natural Resources says estimates for the size of the blaze may fluctuate as firefighters access remote areas on foot and obtain more precise information about the fire.

Fifty-five firefighters from Nova Scotia are fighting the wildfire, along with five from Prince Edward Island, 14 from Newfoundland and Labrador, 17 from the United States and 41 dispatched by the federal government.

Volunteer and municipal firefighters are on call, and air resources include two helicopters.