Crews douse fires at two encampments

Crews responded to two fires at homeless encampments in the Halifax Regional Municipality this weekend.

On Friday just after 7 p.m., Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency received multiple calls about what appeared to be a brush fire in the woods near 12 Lakelands Blvd., near Bayers Lake Business Park in Halifax.

Firefighters discovered a temporary shelter fully ablaze about 100 metres from the road, district chief Dennis Pitts said Sunday.

“The fire was quickly knocked down,” Pitts said. There were no reported injuries.

On Saturday at about 9:30 p.m., dispatchers received reports of a fire at an encampment near 139 Victoria Rd. in Dartmouth.

Crews found a fully involved tent camper, Pitts said. There were no injuries and the fire was quickly put out.

Pitts warned that we are entering the most dangerous time of year for wildland fires, with lots of woody material on the ground from last year and needle-bearing trees at their most flammable.

He said that he appreciates people living in encampments don’t have the advantages for cooking safely as people in permanent dwellings, “but they still have to be careful with outside fires, especially this time of year.”

The public is asked to check the burn-safe map operated by the provincial Department of Natural Resources before having a fire outdoors. The map can be found at https://novascotia. ca/burnsafe/.

Last year, on May 28, a wildfire in the Tantallon area quickly spread out of control, causing the loss of 200 buildings and forcing thousands of people from their homes.