2 N.L. water bombers in the air to fight N.S. wildfires, says Furey
CBC News | Posted: May 29, 2023 12:50 PM | Last Updated: May 29, 2023
State of emergency declared in communities west of Halifax
Newfoundland and Labrador is chipping in to help its neighbour in Nova Scotia fight a wildfire that's burning out of control west of Halifax and forcing the evacuation of residents in its path.
The fire is cutting through the broader Halifax Regional Municipality communities of Upper Tantallon, Hammonds Plains and Pockwock, and the municipality has declared a state of emergency for the impacted areas.
Kara McCurdy, a fire prevention officer in Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, said Newfoundland and Labrador is sending two CL-415 airplanes to help fight the fires.
It's not the first time the provinces have shared resources.
In May 2022, N.L. sent one plane to help control a fire in the Yarmouth County area that covered about 1,000 hectares.
In August, Nova Scotia sent 20 wildland firefighters to help tackle large fires near the Bay d'Espoir Highway and Paradise Lake.
"For many of us it seems too familiar given the experiences of last summer in central Newfoundland. So we wanted to reach out to the province of Nova Scotia as they did to us last summer to lend our support," Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey said Monday.
"We step up in times of crisis, whether that's in our own province or in others."
WATCH | Dramatic dashcam video shows Nove Scotia driver trying to escape wildfires:
Furey said crews were able to quickly mobilize to get to Nova Scotia and are ready to help anywhere they can. Furey also spoke personally to Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston.
"He mentioned that it was scary, and I can appreciate that having flown over the fires in central Newfoundland last summer," Furey said.
It's frightening.… The raw power of Mother Nature coming towards people with limited ability to respond."
McCurdy said Sunday there have been 176 wildfires in the province already this year. Last year there were 70.
"The early snow melt, the warmer winter, the warmer temperatures earlier in the month of March certainly added to drying out all the fuels out there," McCurdy said.
"We have well over 12 to 15 active fires right now going but only three are classed as out of control."