About 3,000 People Out of Homes As Fire Near Halifax Still Out of Control

By THE CANADIAN PRESS

PORTERS LAKE, N.S. – Firefighters say a large Nova Scotia brush fire has caused property damage south of the Porters Lake area, and that high winds were causing flames to approach “within feet” of houses on Saturday morning.

About 3,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the area just east of Halifax, while 200 have registered at emergency shelters.

Roy Hollett, the deputy chief of the Halifax regional fire department, declined to give details of how much damage has occurred to the 1,200 homes – saying his department is contacting homeowners to inform them about the status of their properties.

Meanwhile, about 100 firefighters were on the ground attempting to battle the spread of the fire.

“The winds are picking up and that’s what helping the fire. It would be great if it would turn back on its burned area, that way it’s got nothing to burn,” he said during a briefing on Saturday morning.

“But as the wind moves around and it picks up a new fuel source then it escalates in size and intensity.”

Marian Waltman, 56, an evacuee waiting at an emergency centre in Dartmouth, N.S., for news about the fate of her home said it was difficult not being able to assist.

“You feel helpless because you can’t go back, you can’t go help,” she said.

“I wish I was a firefighter and on the front line fighting not only for your own house but for all the other houses and all the other people with the pets inside and the people losing everything.”

Waltman said many residents were worried about pets that had been left behind.

“All that’s on my mind is the cat, that the cat is okay. She was under the deck and he’s still there waiting for us,” she said.

At daybreak, two water bombers dispatched from New Brunswick and three helicopters resumed attacking the head of the fire north of Marine Drive.

Another water bomber from Newfoundland and Labrador was expected to join the effort in the morning.

Firefighters battled flames whipped by winds that peaked at 90 kilometres per hour on Friday and were still gusting strongly on Saturday morning.

The fire started in the mid-afternoon south of Highway 107 and quickly grew to scorch and area about eight kilometres long and about two kilometres wide.

A huge plume of grey and blue smoke could be seen 20 kilometres away in Halifax.