The Nueva Scotia Natural Resources Department confirmed on Wednesday that a forest fire near a Halifax business park was caused by humans.
During a press conference, the forest protection manager, Scott Tingley, said the teams found an open fire when they reached the scene on Tuesday afternoon, but who started the fire was not close.
“That makes it impossible to make the person or people responsible for accounting. And yes, that is frustrating for all,” Tingley told reporters.
Tingley said a 911 call was made at 2:24 pm on Tuesday to inform the fire in the Swiss Lake area, near the north entrance to the Bayers Lake Business Park, which is located about 10 kilometers west of the Halifax center.
In the last 24 hours, Tingley said that the teams have responded to 17 forest fires in the province due to the dry climate and the “activities that are happening there that should not be”, including that of Lake Bayers. He said that in the last three weeks, DNR has responded to one or more reports every day.
Most fires have quickly extinguished, he said.
A journalist asked Prime Minister Tim Houston at the press conference about the speculation that the fire was connected to a homeless camp.
“Time research will analyze what, why, how, all that kind of thing, but for now the approach is only to contain the fire, fight fires and simply reiterate Nova’s Scots is a risky situation,” said Houston.
On August 5, the province prohibited people from entering the forest under the Forest Law, saying that the restriction is required given the high risk of forest fires. There is also the prohibition of open fires.
The trips and the activity in the forest were also banned in May 2023, while the province fought against two important forest fires that destroyed hundreds of houses. The prohibitions were also implemented in 2016 and 2001 due to fires and dry conditions.
The province is also “strongly recommending” additional precautions for industrial and agricultural operations in private lands that are currently not under the mandatory prohibition, which only covers commercial activity in Corona lands.
These additional precautions include working only between 8 pm and 10 am, having fire extinguishing equipment and maintaining a two -hour surveillance after the work is completed.
Bill Knowlton from Bad Dog Cycles in Timberlea, NS, had a front row for water bombers that picked up water from the lake near the forest fire that burned near the lake Swiss in Halifax.
Until now, the province has issued 12 fines for people to break the prohibition of the forest and the prohibition of burns. The fine is $ 25,000. Houston said he would like to see that each of those cases is “completely processed and collected.”
Houston was asked about the criticisms of the forest prohibition by the federal deputy Michelle Rempel Garner. On Wednesday, he said that the inaction of the federal government in forest fires has conditioned the Canadians to wait for the only response to restrict the movement.
Houston said he is not concerned about what people who do not live in Nueva Scotia have to say about the measures of the province to keep the safe people.
“I guess I find the interest of traveling in Nueva Scotia Woods notable for people who are not in New Scotland and I have probably not been here in their life. We are only worried about keeping sure people. We will do what is necessary to protect lives and that is what we are doing in this case,” said Houston.
When it is pressed even more than the prohibition of the forest has been a point of inflammation in some Canadian conservative circles with people interested in that it is the first step in the climate blockages of the government, Houston said he does not “have time for any type of conspiracy theories.”
“We have not had any rain in New Scotland since June, so the thoughts and opinions of people who have not been in Nueva Scotia, who do not know what it is in New Scotland, who have probably never been in the forest in Nueva Scotia in their life, the thoughts and worries of those people are not a superior priority for me,” he said.
“My main priority is to keep the Scots safely
Houston said that the next few weeks in Nueva Scotia will be difficult because the province is a Tinderbox and rain is needed.
“I know that the restrictions that are in place are not fun, but they are necessary,” said Houston.
Prime Minister Tim Houston and Scott Tingley, Forest Protection Manager, Natural Resources Department, provide an update on the situation of Forest Fire of Nueva Scotia.
