HALIFAX — Officials in Nova Scotia say crews are bracing for a difficult couple of days of firefighting in the Annapolis Valley as the largest blaze in the province continues to gain ground.
The wildfire near Long Lake, about 125 kilometres northwest from Halifax, has surpassed 82 square kilometres in size, Dave Steeves, with the Department of Natural Resources, told reporters Wednesday. "Minimal" rain fell in the area on Monday, Steeves said, adding that while the rainfall was helpful in the short term, the positive effect of the rain is now being lost as flames reduce the moisture in the air.
"When that does happen, fire behaviour and intensity is going to tend to increase," Steeves said. "So for the next couple of days, we are going to be moving into a situation where fire behaviour is going start to move forward, unfortunately."
The wildfire that started two weeks ago has grown quickly; it doubled in size over the weekend.
Premier Tim Houston said earlier in the week that officials didn't know how many homes have been damaged.
On Wednesday, Andrew Mitton with the Department of Emergency Management said the situation is still too dangerous to collect accurate information on the number of structures destroyed or damaged. "We don't want anybody getting hurt. Removing those dangers so we can get in there and do a full assessment is of utmost priority," Mitton said.
The Municipality of the County of Annapolis confirmed Monday that 500 civic addresses were under evacuation orders, although not all of those are homes. Officials later confirmed that a total of 330 homes have now been evacuated in the area of the fire.
There were 62 firefighters from Ontario, 36 Department of Natural Resources firefighters and 59 volunteers tackling the blaze Wednesday.
Meanwhile in Newfoundland and Labrador, Premier John Hogan has announced more financial support for residents forced to flee their homes because of wildfires. The wildfire near Kingston, N.L., which began Aug. 3, has scarred landscapes and changed communities, destroying nearly 200 homes and other structures along a 15-kilometre stretch of coastline in the area known as Conception Bay North, or the north shore.
Western Bay was hit particularly hard. More than 80 structures there were lost, officials have said. The town is home to roughly 395 people living in 195 dwellings, according to Newfoundland and Labrador's community accounts data.
Hogan told a news briefing Wednesday that households in the Conception Bay North area who were forced leave their homes for more than two weeks will receive an additional $500 from the province. That money is on top of $500 payments to evacuated households that Hogan announced earlier this month. Hogan said the funding is aimed at helping displaced residents pay for food and other essentials.
The premier also announced housing support for people whose primary residence is uninsured or uninhabitable. Households staying with family or friends in the community can receive $1,000 per month; those needing temporary rental housing will be given $1,500 per month per household.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2025.
Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
