Halifax-area residents to view damaged homes as wildfire continues to burn

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Residents whose homes have been damaged or destroyed in a wildfire that continues to burn out of control outside Halifax will get the chance to see their properties today on a bus tour of the affected areas.

In an email sent to the affected residents by the Halifax Regional Municipality’s emergency management office shortly after 8 p.m. AT Thursday, officials said the tour of some 200 damaged and destroyed homes will leave from the Canada Games Centre in Halifax at 11 a.m.

“Unfortunately, you will not be able to leave the bus to walk around your property,” it said.

The email, which was provided to CBC News by a resident who lost their home, said staff will be on hand at the Canada Games Centre after the tour to answer questions.

Communication has been lacking: resident

Claude Langlois lost his home on Kata Court in the Highland Park subdivision.

He was not home when the blaze broke out mid-Sunday afternoon in nearby Westwood Hills subdivision and could not get back in time to retrieve his double-doodle dog named Bear.

He was informed by police on Monday morning that his house had burned to the ground, and that Bear was likely dead.

Langlois said he’s seen videos of the rubble, so he knows what to expect, but he thinks seeing his house in person will help with the grieving process.

“Everything that makes it more real, it helps with the grief of it all,” said Langlois, who is staying at a hotel in Halifax.

Still, he has not been happy with the communication from the municipality during this trying time.

“They were not there for us,” he said. “All of our information has been coming from our subdivision Facebook group. There’s been zero communication coming from anywhere else — from our politicians, the city, nothing. We count on each other to pass on information when we have it.”

Officials with the municipality are holding a press conference at 11 a.m. to provide an update on the process of the municipality is using to inform and support residents who lost their homes.

Minimal growth

In an update to reporters earlier Friday, David Steeves of the Department of Natural Resources said there was likely minimal growth of the 837-hectare wildfire, but he did not yet have accurate mapping.

Steeves said containment was still at 50 per cent following a tough day of flare-ups Thursday at the wildfire that spans swaths of Upper Tantallon, Hammonds Plains and Pockwock, along with new fires that cropped up in other areas of the municipality.

Those included a large building fire at the Waegwoltic Club in south-end Halifax and in wooded areas off Prospect Road and Perrin Drive in Waverley.

Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Deputy Fire Chief Dave Meldrum said it was all hands on deck, as resources were redeployed across the region. Even the new class of fire recruits were called in to assist in what Meldrum described as a highly unusual move.

Spotty showers on Friday morning were a welcomed reprieve from the hot and dry conditions that have plagued the region since the wildfire broke out in the Westwood Hills subdivision in Upper Tantallon mid-Sunday afternoon.

But officials conceded the amount is not enough to help in fighting the fires.

“I’ve never been so happy to see rain as I was this morning,” said Meldrum. “It’s great to have. It’s not enough.”

CBC meteorologist Tina Simpkin said scattered showers are expected to become widespread across the province Friday afternoon and evening. On Saturday, up to 40 millimetres of rain is expected in some areas.

Breaking the burn ban in Halifax could result in tickets

In a news briefing on Thursday at 5 p.m. with reporters, Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Deputy Chief David Meldrum said most outdoor fires are caused by people and that personal responsibility is key.

On Thursday, Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said people continued to break the province’s ban on burning, noting someone was caught using a propane torch to burn leaves and another person was starting a bonfire.

“This is a clear violation of the no-stupid policy,” Savage said in an update with reporters at 3 p.m. Thursday. “Don’t do it.”

The provincewide fine for violating the current burn ban was increased this week from $237.50 to a maximum of $25,000.

The RCMP said Friday that nearly a dozen tickets have been issued since 4 p.m. on Tuesday, including eight related to the ban on burning and three related to the ban on entering wooded areas.

Two of the tickets carried the maximum fine of $25,000. In Yarmouth, a person was having a fire that was extinguished by fire crews, and another person in Colchester County was having an open pit fire, according to police.

About 16,400 residents were forced from their homes at the height of the evacuations — stretching from Upper Tantallon to Sackville. There have been no reports of injuries or missing people.

• Have you noticed the price of fire insurance going up? We want to hear from you for an upcoming story. Send an email to ask@cbc.ca.

The federal government announced Thursday the Canadian Armed Forces will be providing supports to help battle wildfires raging across Nova Scotia, including planning and co-ordination support, and firefighters and fire specialists to help control the blazes.

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Think about what you would need to bring in event of 30-minute evacuation, CAO says

Cathie O’Toole Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of Halifax Regional Municipality encouraged residents to think about bringing things like important documents, medications and pets in the event that evacuation areas change.

Nova Scotia is offering a one-time payment of $500 per eligible household for those affected by the evacuation order. Residents can apply for that payment through the Canadian Red Cross.

Officials are investigating what started the initial fire in the Westwood Hills subdivision off Hammonds Plains Road — situated roughly 25 kilometres outside Halifax — but officials with the Natural Resources department have said it was likely human activity.

Houston to feds: ‘It’s time to pitch in with whatever you have’

During a provincial update on the wildfires burning across Nova Scotia, Premier Tim Houston said only the federal government knows what resources it has at its disposal.

Nova Scotia RCMP have said officers are patrolling the affected neighbourhoods 24 hours a day to keep people who should not be there out. There have been no reports of looting or suspicious activity.

Evacuation areas

The municipality has said the evacuation zone could change, and if people need to leave, they should bring their pets, important documents and medication with them, as well as supplies for 72 hours.

People who live in the areas affected by the local state of emergency should have a bag packed and ready to go because they might need to leave on short notice.

Areas affected by evacuations so far include:

• Westwood Hills subdivision.
• White Hills subdivision.
• Highland Park subdivision.
• Haliburton Hills.
• Pockwock Road.
• Glen Arbour.
• Lucasville Road to Sackville Drive.
• Maplewood.
• Voyageur Way.
• St George Boulevard, including all side streets.
• McCabe Lake area.

Officials have said evacuees need to register with 311 so they can be notified if their property was damaged or destroyed. (Toll-free at 1-800-835-6428, 1-866-236-0020 for hearing impaired only line teletypewriter users).

School closures

The following schools are closed Friday:

• Bay View High School.
• Tantallon Junior Elementary.
• Tantallon Senior Elementary.
• Five Bridges Junior High.
• St. Margaret’s Bay Elementary.
• Kingswood Elementary.
• Charles P. Allen High School.
• Basinview Drive Community School.
• Bedford South School.
• Harry R. Hamilton Elementary.
• Millwood Elementary.
• Millwood High School.
• Sackville Heights Elementary.
• Sackville Heights Junior High.

The Halifax Regional Centre for Education said an update would be provided on Sunday evening about school closures for Monday.

Comfort centres

The Halifax Regional Municipality declared a local state of emergency Sunday night in order to access additional support.

Comfort centres have been opened at:

• Black Point and Area Community Centre, 8579 St Margarets Bay Rd., will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, June 2.
• Beaver Bank Kinsac Community Centre, 1583 Beaver Bank Rd., will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, June 2.
• Canada Games Centre, 26 Thomas Raddall Dr., open 24 hours.
• John W. Lindsay YMCA, 5640 Sackville St., Monday to Friday 5:45 a.m. to 10 p.m, Saturday and Sunday 7:45 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Community YMCA,2269 Gottingen St., Halifax, Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A mobile primary health clinic will be available at the Canada Games comfort centre on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The clinic will be able to provide care for non-urgent health issues, like prescription refills, minor respiratory symptoms, sore throat, headache, muscle pain and mental health and addiction support.