The arrival of rain in the Maritime provinces, affected for almost a week by historic fires, came to relieve firefighters in Nova Scotia on Saturday.
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85% of the wildfire that threatened Nova Scotia’s capital, Halifax, has thus been brought under control, taking it from “out of control” to “stable”, authorities announced during a press briefing on Saturday Morning.
“It’s great,” said Dave Meldrum, deputy chief of Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services. “It’s not about a big downpour that runs off and disappears. The water will be able to infiltrate more effectively into the ground,” he said, as the province expects more precipitation for the days to come.
“That said, the fire is not out and will not be declared out for some time,” said Dave Steeves of the provincial Department of Natural Resources.
Friday evening, half of the 16,000 people evacuated from the suburbs northeast of Halifax were thus allowed to return home.
“This week has been surreal, one of the weirdest of my life,” Shawn Lavigne, who had to quickly evacuate his house on Sunday, told public media CBC. “Honestly, I’ve never been happier to see dirty dishes than last night. It’s great to be home,” he added, smiling.
Of the five fires currently ravaging Nova Scotia, the largest continues to progress in the southwestern part of the province.
Canadian armed forces as well as American firefighters are expected there on Saturday and Sunday, as well as firefighters initially planned for Halifax.