By Canadian Press

Canadian soldiers, American firefighters now battling blazes in Nova Scotia

Jun 4, 2023 | 2:01 AM

HALIFAX — Canadian soldiers and firefighters from abroad are now on the ground helping to extinguish wildfires burning in several parts of Nova Scotia for the past week.

Members of the Canadian Armed Forces and a number of American firefighters arrived in the province on Saturday and will be deployed to combat the most significant blazes. 

Those include the wildfire that forced thousands of people from their homes near Halifax, though that blaze is no longer considered to be burning out of control. 

Provincial officials said on Saturday the Westwood Hills fire, in Tantallon, was 85 per cent contained and was unlikely to spread further due to a combination of firefighting efforts and heavy rain that fell throughout the day. Meanwhile, the nearby Hammonds Plains blaze is now under control and considered 100 per cent contained.

In Shelburne County, however, the Barrington Lake wildfire — the largest in the province’s history — continues to burn out of control. 

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The blaze covered 250 square kilometres as of late Saturday and has destroyed at least 50 homes and cottages.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2023.  

The Canadian Press