The Western Region of Nova Scotia is currently dealing with seven forest fires that have already claimed approximately 24 hectares of land.
There are two fires in Yarmouth County, three in Lunenburg, one in Yarmouth, and one in Annapolis.
The most significant fire is in Yarmouth County between Highway 3 and Highway 103 near Lower Argyle.
Lands and Forestry Fire Prevention Officer Kara McCurdy says that Hwy. 103 has been closed in that area as a result. She also confirmed that air support is being provided from New Brunswick to assist with fire fighting efforts.
Lands and Forestry are currently overseeing the firefighting efforts with assistance from virtually all fire departments from the Western Region.
Unfavourable weather conditions have led to an ideal situation for fires to spread says McCurdy “The rain we got mostly rolled off since the ground was so hard and the wind we’ve had over the last few days has dried things right back up.”
There have also been lighting storms recently and two of the active fires are being attributed to lightning strikes however the other fires are believed to be the result of human actions.
McCurdy says over the weekend it’s imperative burn restrictions are followed, “The hurricane that was supposed to bring rain is looking like it’s heading south now so we will see heavy wind and not much precipitation over the weekend which can be very dangerous.”
She expects full burn bans to be in place for the Western Region throughout the weekend and that means no fires or fireworks of any kind at any time.
