Thousands of people in Eastern Canada’s Nova Scotia have been forced to evacuate their homes due to widespread fires that are consuming land. The scenes are quite terrifying.
FIres have devoured large areas of forests in eastern Canada over the past days, and their intensity has increased in recent hours, especially in the Tantallon fire, which was not limited to agricultural areas, but swept through many homes and led to the displacement of thousands of citizens.
According to the Canadian authorities, more than 16,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes in Nova Scotia, after the numerous fires raging in the country threatened residential areas near the city of Halifax.
The Canadian city of Halifax in Nova Scotia declared a state of local emergency after a wildfire caused evacuations and power outages, with authorities shutting several schools in the affected areas https://t.co/X5O5YpgvES pic.twitter.com/Ko8xC3tCJi
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 29, 2023
The fire is still out of control northwest of Halifax since Sunday night when authorities declared a state of emergency, calling on suburban residents to remain on alert to evacuate their homes at any moment.
Canada: Folks evacuating Tantallon, Nova Scotia.
— The Hotshot Wake Up (@HotshotWake) May 28, 2023
It’s being reported that this fire has the largest resource response in Province history. #canada #novascotia #wildfire pic.twitter.com/4fLBFgWNar
Late on Sunday, the municipality of Halifax declared a local emergency in the periphery and areas affected by the massive bushfires, which have prompted evacuations, school closures and power outages outside the province.
In its statement, the municipality said that the state of emergency will continue for 7 days, unless it is lifted or extended, and attributed its cause to climate changes and environmental interactions.
She ripped… Nova Scotia, Canada. The winds were very strong.
— The Hotshot Wake Up (@HotshotWake) May 29, 2023
Multiple fires have burned in the province.
Halifax fire has reported that structure loss is immense due to the fire in Tantallon. #canada #tantallonfire #wildfire
📷: @or_bit_eye pic.twitter.com/bSiyl21Pgq
She explained that the purpose of this decision is to obtain a higher level of coordination between the authorities, access to emergency funds, and to be able to obtain appropriate support from organizations and companies to support the evacuated population.
(Environment) A video sent to us from Upper Tantallon earlier. DNR and HRFE crews are working hard on this one. An air quality advisory is in effect via Environment Canada #hfxtraffic pic.twitter.com/Qk17XKI3Bs
— WaterfrontMdaHfx (@HfxMda) May 28, 2023
Numerous scenes – spread on social media – showed the size of the fires that caused the emergency in Canada, specifically Halifax.
Although the fire did not cause any human injuries, local television channels broadcasted scenes of plumes of smoke surrounding the area and many homes and cars turning into ashes due to the fire.
Marianne and Peter Gillespie, who were trapped in the fire, believed that they were going to lose their lives.
They added in statements to the public television network “CBC” that they fled in their car while it was falling ashes and sparks.
A volunteer firefighter with tears in his eyes described his experience of driving through burning cars and houses to Radio Canada.
Massive Fire in #Halifax #NovaScotia Over 18000 people evacuated so far. My prayers go out to all first responders fighting and those affected. The fire started yesterday and rages on today. All we can hope for is that the sky opens up and the rain helps put out this #fire. pic.twitter.com/SIoVNLk016
— ⚡️CRYPTO SAN さん⚡️ (@NFTcaper) May 29, 2023
“The province of Nova Scotia is facing pressure,” said Premier Tim Houston, while Mayor Mike Savage of Halifax characterized the fire as “unprecedented.”
During a press conference, Savage said that the evacuation zone perimeter has not been enlarged since yesterday. This is a positive sign that the situation may be under control, but it is still hazardous.
My son’s view as he tried to get home on the Hammonds Plains Road towards Tantallon. He was turned back. Evacuation route is taking us towards Highway 103. #nswildfire pic.twitter.com/YQgF5zmgvS
— Rhonda Brown (@RhondaBrown5) May 28, 2023
According to officials, even though the wind direction shifted back towards the origin of the fire on Monday, it was still insufficient to prevent the risk.
She explained that the firefighting teams can only control the fire if it rains; however, there is no rain predicted for this week. Currently, there are wildfires in eight out of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories since Monday.
In recent years, western Canada has been repeatedly exposed to climatic phenomena, aggravated by global warming
