(Update at 1:10 p.m. ET, May 1: CBC news is reporting that the fire is “under control”.)
A fire on the outskirts of Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada has burned 1,000 acres, destroyed 8 homes, damaged 10 others, and required the evacuation of 1,200 residents.
The fire started Thursday afternoon. Overnight and at 6 a.m. Friday morning police were going door to door near the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron ordering families to leave their homes before the fire reached their area.
From The ChronicalHerald:
Fire crews are working on three- or four-hour rotations, but there’s no plan to ask for help from other fire departments throughout the province.
However 48 fire fighters with the Department of Natural Resources have come from across Nova Scotia to fight the blaze, said department spokesman Paul Schnurr. The crews have been at work since 7 a.m.
The department has had helicopters in the air since 6:30 a.m. surveying the scene, but the water bombers have not taken flight. “We’re holding them back for safety reasons,” Mr. Schnurr said, adding those reasons include concerns about the dangers of having water drop on ground crews.
