{"id":808107,"date":"2026-07-17T15:38:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/808107\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T15:38:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:38:17","slug":"eastern-shore-wildfire-jumps-significantly-in-size-to-1700-hectares","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/808107\/","title":{"rendered":"Eastern Shore wildfire jumps significantly in size to 1,700 hectares"},"content":{"rendered":"

An out-of-control wildfire on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore has jumped significantly in size, with provincial officials reporting that it now covers 1,700 hectares, up from an earlier estimate of 300 hectares.<\/p>\n

The fire is near Mooseland Road, about 100 kilometres\u00a0east of Halifax. Crews resumed tackling the blaze at first light, the day after a mandatory evacuation order was issued for a 22-kilometre stretch of Mooseland Road, from civic address 4315 down to Highway 7.<\/p>\n

The evacuation order was issued after the fire crossed Mooseland Road on Thursday, forcing Nova Scotia Power to cut electricity to active lines in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cNova Scotia Power will have to assess that once they get in there safely, but that\u2019s the reason,\u201d Jim Rudderham, director of fleet and wildfire management for the Department of Natural Resources, said Friday morning. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an active fire, and we are very hopeful and confident about where it\u2019s going, but we have to be sure as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"MapNova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources said the Mooseland Road wildfire began on Wednesday evening and grew significantly by Thursday. (Source: Wildfire Nova Scotia Viewer)<\/p>\n

Crews from various local volunteer fire departments are assisting, with support from Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency and the DNR. Helicopters were preparing to take off around 8:15 a.m. AT to support ground efforts.<\/p>\n

Two fixed-wing water bombers from Nova Scotia will be in use today, along with two water bombers from Newfoundland and Labrador.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery tool in the toolbox will help us,\u201d said Rudderham. \u201cThis morning, the weather is a little calmer, and we can get some heavy aircraft on the fire, and our crews as well, to start tightening those boundaries. It\u2019ll certainly help.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AnA satellite image of the Mooseland Road wildfire taken Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 12:16 p.m. AT. (Courtesy: Copernicus Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Despite starting late Wednesday and exploding under Thursday\u2019s hot, dry conditions, the fire zone received 4.6 millimetres of rain overnight. However, Rudderham cautioned that the forest remains dangerously dry. <\/p>\n

“I suspect that the fire last night probably laid down pretty good and didn’t do much movement at all, but as the morning progresses and the day heats up, it will start to move again.”<\/p>\n

\"AJacob Prest, who lives in the area covered by the Mooseland Road wildfire evacuation, is shown on Friday, July 17, 2026. (Paul Poirier\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Jacob Prest, who lives in the area covered under the evacuation order, said the fire appeared to escalate quickly Thursday evening.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt kind of erupted, the smoke did, around supper time \u2026 and the fire \u2026 just ran away from everybody yesterday,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said Mooseland Road is a tight-knit, family community, with about a 70\/30 split between full-time and seasonal residents.<\/p>\n

According to a Thursday estimate from the Halifax Regional Municipality,\u00a0 the evacuation order affects between 100-150 people.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was pretty hectic,\u201d said Prest. “Mostly with people \u2026 who don\u2019t live here that have senior parents, responding quickly and coming out to get their parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AEfforts by firefighters to combat the Mooseland Road wildfire resumed as the sun rose Friday morning. (Brett Ruskin\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Prest said firefighters came to his door to inform him of the evacuation order, but after talking with officials, he’s decided to stay for now, as the fire appears to be tracking in the opposite direction of his home. <\/p>\n

He said he was told one of the main reasons for the evacuation was the fact that power was cut off in the area.<\/p>\n

“They didn’t seem to have a huge problem at that point with us staying, but \u2026 we’re watching things closely,” Prest said. “We have our go bags packed and ready if the wind changes.”<\/p>\n

\"AA comfort centre for evacuees from the Mooseland Road wildfire has been set up in Middle Musquodoboit, N.S. (Paul Poirier\/CBC)<\/p>\n

As of 9 a.m. Friday, Nova Scotia Power\u2019s outage map listed 167 customers in the area without electricity.<\/p>\n

Cellphone service near Mooseland Road is also “non-existent,” Prest said.<\/p>\n

For those with homes in the area who are away or living outside the province, it\u2019s been painful to watch from afar.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m feeling extremely helpless, being so far away, and just kind of sitting and watching to see if all my childhood memories \u2026 are just going to be gone overnight,\u201d Melissa Charalambous said Friday from her home in Ontario.<\/p>\n

Charalambous owns a cottage, which once belonged to her late father, near Mooseland Road.<\/p>\n

When she heard the news that an evacuation order was issued, she quickly contacted a neighbour who was able to retrieve two irreplaceable items from her home: her father’s ashes, and the logbooks he used when he worked at sea.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I’m] so relieved,” she said. “At the end of the day, at least I have those two things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rain in the forecast for Sunday<\/p>\n

Crews are keeping a close eye on the forecast, which calls for rain on Sunday.<\/p>\n

“We live on the weather,” Rudderham said. “We watch it. We listen to it … so we’re very hopeful that that rain does materialize on Sunday.” <\/p>\n

With wildfire season in full swing, Rudderham urged all rural Nova Scotians to be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice.<\/p>\n

“You have to be prepared. You never know what might come,” he said. <\/p>\n

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