Crews to return to scene of wildfire near Big Indian Lake

CITYnews halifax / By Dan Ahlstrand

Firefighters will return to the woods this morning to reassess a wildfire that broke out yesterday afternoon near Tantallon.

According to the Halifax Professional Firefighters Union, crews arrived on the scene on Pipeline Road near Big Indian Lake around 3:10 p.m. to find smoke coming from a heavily wooded area.

In addition to the response from Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, the Department of Natural Resources dispatched crews and a waterbombing helicopter to help bring the fire under control.

DNR says the fire grew to about 1.2 hectares before firefighting efforts managed to contain its spread.

Just before 9 p.m., Halifax Regional Municipality issued a second alert saying the fire was contained. Crews left the woods due to darkness and planned to return at first light to reassess the situation.

No structures are located in the area.

The fire started shortly after DNR announced that, due to hot and dry conditions across Nova Scotia, the province is under a total fire ban.

The ban applies to open fires such as campfires, bonfires, brush fires, fires in chimineas, and any other fire that is not enclosed and uses wood as fuel.