Shelburne County forest fire out of control, says province

An out-of-control forest fire burning near Barring‐ ton Lake in Shelburne County, N.S., has grown to 2,296 hectares, the Depart‐ ment of Natural Resources and Renewables said Sun‐ day night.

A tweet from the RCMP at 7:46 said a mandatory evacu‐ ation order is now in place for residents of Barrington Lake and Clyde River, while evacua‐ tion is recommended for resi‐ dences on Highway 3 be‐ tween Port Saxon and Birch‐ town.

It said the last reported lo‐ cation of the fire was at 89 Quinns Falls Rd. in Clyde Riv‐ er.

In a tweet early Sunday evening, the Department of Natural Resources and Re‐ newables said the fire mea‐ sures about 1,354 hectares, up from 775 hectares late Sunday morning.

The department said the efforts to battle the wild‐ fire include 35 department firefighters, 50 volunteer fire‐ fighters, two helicopters and six air tankers from New Brunswick.

At 5:50 p.m. AT Saturday, the fire was considered con‐ tained at 13 hectares.

The department said hot, dry and windy conditions are making it challenging to fight the fire.

Forest protection officer Kara McCurdy says Barring‐ ton Lake is located in a re‐ mote area typically only ac‐ cessed for activities like hik‐ ing, fishing and four-wheeling.

But the fire is now burning in an easterly direction, just south of the community of

Clyde River, she told CBC early Sunday afternoon.

The RCMP said Sunday af‐ ternoon it had begun assist‐ ing with evacuations for resi‐ dents on Upper Clyde Road and Highway 3.

Falling ash, thick smoke Wendy Atwood, a clerk at a convenience store in Clyde River, said everyone is on edge.

"Last night, when it was dark, it was really scary be‐ cause you could see the glow from the fire," said At‐ wood. "Just talking about it now I'm getting goosebumps because it was unreal."

She said the community is blanketed with smoke that she can smell from inside the store. Falling ash can also be seen.

"You hear of forest fires out in B.C., but we never expe‐ rience things like that here, so it's really scary," she said.

McCurdy said all residents should be prepared to leave at once, if needed.

"Have a kit of clothing and personal items, be prepared to leave for roughly 72 hours, with money in hand," she said. "Have a plan for your pets … but, in the meantime, keep your windows shut to keep the smoke out."

Hot, windy and dry condi‐ tions expected over the next few days will make it difficult to put the fire out, said At‐ wood.

"In order for us to contain this fire and get it under con‐ trol … we're going to need both help from resources and from Mother Nature," she said.

Natural Resources said that three cabins are located in the remote area where the fire is burning and that one has been destroyed. The state of the remaining two is not known.

Meanwhile, 12 homes in a direct path of the fire were evacuated Saturday night.

Some people have re‐ turned today, but Natural Re‐ sources says they might have to leave again. Some homes may also lose power as the day progresses.

Officials said more evacua‐ tions are expected as the fire progresses, and that Highway 103 is now "generally closed" between exits 28 and 29.

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