The Lake George Wildfire remains out of control and now estimated at 285 hectares in size.
Short Recap:
Aylesford firefighters and their substation Lake Paul responded to the wildfire on Sunday with mutual aid assistance from Berwick & Waterville Fire.
The fire was called in by a plane flying over head on Sunday, September 28th. It was quickly located by volunteer firefighters on a new fire road just off of Aylesford Road.
Department of Natural Resources also attended and assumed jurisdiction.
Crews worked to stretch hose lines to contain the fire by ground, with one contracted helicopter arriving and performing drops around crews.
Four NWT 802s also came to assist while being based in Greenwood, this pulled ground crews from the woods for their safety.
The helicopter and planes response was extremely prompt and effective to contain the fire at the time.
Crews cleared the fire overnight, which is done for a number of reasons such as visibility, escape routes etc and is normal protocol in Nova Scotia and across Canada.
Efforts continued the following day where firefighters had the fire “Being Held” and continued ground efforts during the morning and afternoon on Monday, September 29th.
The fire quickly progressed, becoming out of control and jumping the Aylesford Road later that afternoon, ultimately forcing evacuations for communities surrounded nearby.
Multiple emergency alerts were issued by Kings REMO for prepare to evacuate and mandatory evacuations, between Monday and Tuesday and following days as the fire continued to grow.
Today:
Conditions were favourable to a degree for positive work on the ground by firefighters today, with a reduction in winds.
There was a total of 6 helicopters that were dropping water on the fire alongside ground crews, per DNRs update this morning.
With long line buckets attached and more easy maneuvering then water bombers, helicopters can drop more precise water on areas of concern, while working with firefighters on the ground to pinpoint these hot spots.
The four NWT 802 skimmers and two NFLD CL-415s remained at Greenwood Base on standby today, taking a much needed break from their tireless efforts over the last week.
Ground crews are unable to safely and effectively work the fire by ground while water bombers are dropping water.
When water is being unloaded by water bombers it can cause serious injury to anyone who may be in its path. The force of their drops can snap trees, it’s that strong, scattering water droppings around the drop location.
While this may sound like negative news that they weren’t airborne, this is positive progression that crews were able to work hot spots in the woods more safely by ground today.
⚠️ Please Note: This does not mean the fire is under control and conditions can quickly change, but positive progress continues.
Additional structures were equipped by structural protection crews in the active fire zone today. Structural protection measures remain in place with sprinklers soaking down lawns and homes while volunteers continue supply areas with manual hydration, soaking down vegetation where and when needed.
Fire breaks, which consist of heavy machinery making roads ahead of the fire continue, to help prevent the fire from spreading further. This also provides better access to the fire for ground crews.
The fire has managed to breach fire breaks that were in place during more extreme fire conditions over the last few days. Crews have been making good progress here and there have been no reports of this taking place recently.
Winds are expected to increase over the next few days and there is the chance of increased fire behaviour. The work done today remains key to fire efforts, until some much needed rain is forecasted for Wednesday, if it still comes.
Models are currently showing 20+mm for Kings County on Wednesday into Thursday which would make a huge positive impact on the fire in Lake George, fingers crossed 🤞
There have been no reports of damaged structures at this current time.
Evacuations and road closures remain in place along Aylesford Road & North River Road in the Morristown and Lake George communities.
These areas are restricted and residents are asked to avoid the area and to not go in the evacuation zone. This is for safety of residents and first responders while efforts continue.
The Morristown Community Centre continues to be the command centre where many thoughtful donations and volunteer efforts are underway to help with the effort behind the scenes.
There have been 165 wildfires reported in Nova Scotia so far this year burning an area of approximately 8759.21 hectares. There are currently 8 active wildfires in Nova Scotia with four of those being in Annapolis and Kings Counties.
The Long Lake Wildfire remains under control which covered 8,468 hectares and destroyed 20 homes and 11 outbuildings. Residents who were previously evacuated and able to, have been able to return home.
The Long Lake Wildfire and Lake George Wildfire have been the two largest fires in Nova Scotia to date this year, both in the Annapolis Valley.
From Kings REMO via Lake George Wildfire:
A State of Local Emergency was declared on September 29th for the Lake George Wildfire and will be in effect through until October 6th unless terminated or renewed.
Kings County Emergency Coordination Centre Public Hotline is 902-690-6112 and is available for inquiries 7:00am to 7:00pm daily.
You can support evacuees through the Canadian Red Cross by Financial donations. The Canadian Red Cross is leading evacuee support at the Louis Millett Centre on Commercial Street in New Minas.
If you’d like to support our volunteer firefighters please connect with your local Fire Department or the Kings County Fire Service Association to see how donations (like gift cards for gas, meals, or groceries) can be pooled safely.
Local service groups, churches, and community organizations are also stepping up to provide meals, temporary supports, and connection for evacuees. Consider contributing to these efforts.
There is a list of key information that can be sourced by directly visiting Kings REMO below ⤵️ https://www.kingsremo.ca
Thank you to all the firefighters, pilots, out of province crews and volunteers who continue to work to help fight the Lake George Wildfire on the grounds and behind the scenes.
Adrian J.
