https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=fire+nova+scotia+today

Thank you so much for checking in! I really appreciate it. The wildfires have been pretty serious and about 16,000 people have been evacuated. Fortunately, there is almost no chance that the fire will come downtown where I am. It’s still a few kilometres away and from what I understand wildfires don’t have a lot of fuel in urban areas. That said, I was very anxious last night, and even found our passports and gathered some medication and so on, despite knowing intellectually that the fire would not come my way.

I know a few people who have been mandatorily evacuated and one is pretty sure her home is gone. People are not getting updates on their homes because the fire is still very active and so the focus of fire fighting is on containment and there have been no comprehensive damage estimate so far.

One thing that is miraculous, is that so far, there have been no reported injuries or death of humans. The affected area includes suburbs and farms. Many horses have been evacuated. Some horse barns had to turn their horses loose and they have showed up all over town. Most of the horses have been found and rounded up I believe. Something heartwarming is that horse people came from all over with trailers to try to help evacuate the horses and paddock space has been offered all over the province.

Another heartwarming tale is that animal control, the department of natural resources, and the RCMP having going door-to-door evacuating animals today where it is safe. I believe hundreds of pets have been found this way. So many people have showed up to volunteer to transport the animals and to bring supplies in crates that they had to start turning volunteers away.

There was a huge plume of smoke turning the sun red last night, but the wind turned, and the smoke is blowing away from us now. The forecast is hot, dry, and windy so it doesn’t look great.

Our fellow Canadians in Alberta and British Columbia are well used to this kind of devastating fire. It is not so common for us here in rainy Nova Scotia. We don’t even have an airplane water bomber in our province, some have flown in from surrounding provinces.

Just saw a more recent update that they are estimating 200 structures lost to date based on reports from first responders.

So heartbreaking. Stay safe!

Robo, my heart goes out to your community. Mine has suffered through recent fires and evacuations with terrible losses of life and property. It's a shocking thing to behold.

One thing though, as you've mentioned, is the heroic kindness shown by those who muster and rescue animals. During the wildfires here, horses and other livestock were housed at the fairgrounds racetrack stables.

Stay safe. All that matters are your loved ones. That is all.

So glad you and your family are safe as are the firefighters. We (BC) have had an early start to the fire season this year and the evacuees are being told to bring their house pets because the evacuee centers will take them. It's amazing how farming communities will all come together to help one another. They all know how valued farm animals are to families.

I hope the fires become contained soon.

Yes, I was reflecting that, you know, we used to be told never to bring pets. I think emergency response personnel realized to what great lengths people will go to bring or stay with their pets and I’m so happy that now pets are accepted at most of the comfort centres and many people have offered to foster pets as well.

One woman who ran a dog boarding facility couldn’t get all the dogs out. there were 18 left at her place. She was told she could not re-enter the evacuation zone for any reason, and that the first responders would not help her get the pets out. She ran 3km through the deep woods to get back to the dogs and “negotiated” transport out at that point. Not exactly legal but I do admire her dedication.

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/nature/animals/nova-scotian-rescues-18-dogs-as-wildfire-spreads-rapidly-near-halifax

Good news that you are safe. My heart goes out to all affected by this fire and other fires.

It is wonderful to hear about everyone coming together to help rescue all the pets and other animals. I can only imagine the heatbreak by owners who had to leave animals behind. Thankfully, the authorities are making it easier for pet owners.

Hoping that the fire will be under control soon

Glad you are safe and sounds as if your location provides a measure of safety ongoing. Hopefully there will be containment and safety for all very soon.

Thank you for checking in. And how wonderful the animal rescue effort has been!

So devastating. Glad you are safe. We are expected to see and even smell the smoke this afternoon. Just a reminder of how interconnected the world is. I took this shot last week in VT, the sunset colored by the smoke from the Alberta fires.

I just watched a tearful woman who ran 3km to rescue 18 dogs. OMG! What a good person! What a nightmare...glad your alright robo.

I would never leave without my dog -- I don't know that I could run 3 KM, but I know I could never recover from leaving 18 dogs that were my responsibility behind. I'm so glad they all got out. Hope all who are safe remain so.

What an awful, scary time. Very good to hear that you and your family are safe. So glad they are allowing pets into shelters. I can't imagine having left our little dog behind. Sounds like a wonderful community you are in. P.S. Just got an air quality alert here in CT. Can't imagine what it must be like in N.S.

Oh my goodness. I never would have thought lovely and seemingly always damp Nova Scotia would experience something like this. Relief to know you and yours are safe, if not scared. We have wildfires here and it's so devastating. I hope the weather conditons turn to put out the fires to help the firefighters.

I teared up reading your words robo about the horses, the paddocks being volunteered, others bringing in their trailers, caring for the other animals. Oh there I go again. Dab tear. It's so hard on the animals and their instinct is to run--far. I'm really glad to know pets are being allowed in the shelters. We had so many people, who during our evacuations lived for weeks in the woods and parking lots in strange to them cities in their cars because pets were not allowed at the shelters. Good move on your local government's part.

Be safe. I'm sending as good of wishes as I can muster to the people in your part of the world.

I'm so sorry you are going through this scary time. My Dad was born and raised in Middleton, Nova Scotia. I remember him talking about Halifax and Margaretsville (although he called it Margitsville. When I think about visiting his family there when I was a kid, I remember a place that was damp and cool and misty. It's hard to imagine a big wildfire burning there.

Living in California, we're familiar with wildfires. Three years ago, we moved from our home of 30+ years to escape the stress and worry of fires. We just could no longer live that way.

I'm very glad that pets are now considered family members by first responders. It used to be they were left behind to fend for themselves and people started refusing to evacuate unless their pets could go too. The horse rescuers and the woman who went back for the dogs are amazing, compassionate people.

My very best wishes that the fire is soon contained and that people can return to their homes.

This is very typical of the horse community in ns - dozens of trailers and hundreds of paddock spaces have been offered across the province. Unfortunately we also have a much larger and very serious wildfire happening in the southwest part of the province and the hospital and farms have started to evacuate there as well.

It just seem to be getting worse. This is just awful.

Such devastation and such a feeling of helplessness.

We had wild fires rip through our community just last month. But certainly not on this scale.

My prayers for all!

Well my club burned down - we belonged to a historic swimming/sailing/tennis club and it burned today in an unrelated fire (it was an abnormally hot, dry, windy day here on top of a hot, dry windy spring).

The clubhouse was built in 1861.

Wow - that is devastating. Though it's a structure and not a living being it's still so sad to lose that kind of history.

Ohmygoodness, 1861! So, so sorry!

I'm so sorry. A structure like that, with all its history and memories, can't be replaced although I hope that your club is able to rebuild once all of this is over and people begin the work of clean-up and rebuilding their communities.

@robo (z6a) - my cousin & her family were also members at the Wag, they live nearby on Jubilee Road. Her daughter was supposed to go to camp there for 2 weeks this summer. They are devastated. It is so sad to lose those big old historic buildings. Your Province has certainly had a terrible week.

Yes! The camps will likely go on I expect as they are based out of a different building, and with the earlier fire, they had already made efforts to work around not having the main building operational. Here’s hoping! Emmett is supposed to be there four weeks this summer!

This story was on our news and it sounds like the firefighters were inside trying to save it and when they realized that they couldn't they grabbed as much memorabilia as they could and got out. Then they went on the defensive to save the surrounding area from catching on fire.

That is just awful to lose a community building that means so much to so many especially when so much other loss is happening.

So very sad, a beautiful building with all of that history.

I am so sorry about your club. That is heartbreaking. Yay for rain.

Now we are getting 3-4 inches of rain over three days … good for the fires but what the heck man.

Heard the mayor of Halifax on NPR today. Poor guy sounded exhausted. But the rains are the good news.

Yes, when we were still bone dry the province instituted a total burn ban with $25,000 fine. In spite of that someone was caught burning a leaf pile with a blow torch. the mayor said it was a “clear violation of the no stupid policy.” 😂 he got his 15 mins of fame from that!

Still raining! Penny is not happy about it but the rest of us are. For a supposed water dog she sure hates the rain.

Glad you're getting all that beautiful rain. Another air quality alert today in CT. Very hazy and for the first time I can smell the smoke. Hope things continue to improve in NS.

Glad you are getying rain, finally finally! Sorry about your club and all the other losses. Apparently we are having some hazy days because of the smoke even in the SE.

Sad to say I am afraid we will all be experiencing more fires.....and according to the local regional office of the National Weather Bureau that's located 2 miles from where I live - more storms that are both more frequent and more severe. I had several 'Fire Alerts' on my cell phone yesterday and DHS was on an evacuation alert. Neither of us have ever had to worry about dry weather and fires in our area before.

Robo - slightly off topic but this morning on Instagram Dorothee Rosen re-posted a lovely clip (by Allyson Simmie) of rain failing through the leafy tree tops along with a thank you to the firefighters and first responders. I've been following Dorothee on IG ever since you first mentioned ordering a custom ring from her and I've thoroughly enjoyed not only her artistic skills but also her gentle, environmental approach to life and design. So here is a belated thank you.

Maire

Wow, Robo, you all can't seem to catch a break (but so glad the fires are now contained.)

Two of my friends are going on a long-planned trip to Nova Scotia next week. They have always wanted to go and decided not to cancel (as of now.) They wonder about Halifax, specifically if evacuations are still in place and also if there is residual smoke that would make walking around outside an issue. I said I would ask you. Hope you don't mind.

Thanks,

Jo

We also have the air quality alerts here - all the way in Tennessee! Just a bit hazy looking.

Oh Robo, I am so sorry about your grand old club! Glad you are safe and getting some rain. A native plant sale is a brilliant idea.

Just catching up on this thread. I am so sorry about your club burning, Robo. what a sad loss.

The smoke from the Canadian fires were hovering over Philadelphia today. The sky looked a bit orangey. We finally got some rain today but it was a torrential downpour that only lasted half an hour. We sure need rain.

Sad. So glad the rains started.

Jo - I think it would be a great time to visit. The air quality is fine. I’m pretty sensitive to that and I’ve been having no issues. The fires in and around Halifax were limited to a very small area and you would never know, it’s not a very touristy part of town. There had been a ban put in place on even entering the woods, but that ban has been lifted with the recent rains. A complete fire ban for campfires is still in effect.

The only place I would recommend not visiting is Southwest Nova Scotia near Yarmouth and Shelburne. There is a fire ongoing there and parts of the highway are still closed as they evaluate safety.

These are some recent air quality readings and the air quality health index, published by environment Canada, puts our forecast at air quality of one or two, which is very good.

The things I take interest in now that I have a kid with asthma!

Forgot to mention, we had a nice email from the club, obviously they are devastated that the clubhouse is gone but activities will continue this summer. The club had always been conceived as an outdoor club, so much of it will be able to keep operating. There is a large boat shed where they hold summer camps and they had built an annex to host meetings and weddings, so the dining hall is going to go in the annex building and they will be able to keep operating much as usual. The club is obviously closed for now, but they hope to open as soon as the site can be secured.

Sun last night obscured by all the smoke from Canada...

Thanks, Robo, for the information i have passed it along to my friends.

Unfortunately there are over 200 fires burning in Quebec and Northern Ontario and the air quality has plummeted south of there. Western Canada is well used to this (sadly) but Central and Eastern Canada are getting a big wakeup call.

This graphic shows the path of the smoke swirling quite far down into the US

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/us/smoke-maps-canada-fires.html

I put a little X where I am.

Glad to hear that the club's activities will go on as planned this summer. Sorry that the main structure was lost. Also happy to see that you appear to be outside the smoke range. You guys have been through so much.

What a horrible situation, Robo. Glad that you got some rain, though. We, here in SC Ct, have this eerie, orange yellow cast for the second day. I can smell the smoke. I feel for all those that had to be evacuated, lost their homes, people and pets that have had their lives turned into turmoil.