Most Evacuation Orders Lifted in Nova Scotia Almost Two Weeks After Wildfires Started

Northfield fire department member Seth Slauenwhite sprays down a flare up along Highway 103, near Shelburne, N.S., in this June 3, 2023, handout photo. (The Canadian Press/HO-Communications Nova Scotia)

Most evacuation orders were lifted Friday across Nova Scotia, almost two weeks after a series of unprecedented wildfires broke out in the southwestern corner of the province and in suburban Halifax.

Officials in Shelburne County, where the largest wildfire in the province’s history continued to burn out of control, lifted all evacuation orders at noon. The wildfire there, which started May 27 near Barrington Lake, hasn’t grown since the weekend thanks to the work of firefighters and wet, cool weather.

The Barrington Lake fire forced more than 6,000 people from their homes and destroyed 60 homes and cottages, as well as 150 other structures. By last weekend, the fire had grown to 235 square kilometres.

The municipalities of Shelburne and Barrington, which are both within Shelburne County, have asked people to stay out of the area for a few days unless they have a reason to be there. Residents were also warned that some areas were still without electricity, though power was expected to be restored Friday.

In the Halifax Regional Municipality, evacuation orders were lifted at 1 p.m. for all but a small portion of the subdivisions closest to where the fire started on May 28.

Evacuation orders remain in place for three small areas that experienced the most damage, but officials said the size of those areas had changed on Friday, which meant that portions of the “area of significant impact” were no longer subject to an evacuation order.

On Thursday, municipal officials said residents who live within the significant impact zone should be able to return home within the next 10 days. Officials said the region must first complete a review of infrastructure, install traffic controls and place fences around destroyed properties.

Driven by strong winds and fuelled by tinder-dry forests, the fast-moving Halifax-area fire destroyed 151 houses and dozens of other structures. In all, more than 16,000 people were forced to flee their homes in the Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains areas, which are about a 30-minute drive northwest of the city’s downtown.

The fire was largely contained on Saturday, and some evacuation orders were lifted earlier this week. By Friday morning, about 4,000 people in the Halifax region were still waiting to return home.