Officials say the wildfire that tore through the Halifax area is 100 percent contained.
Nova Scotia’s natural resources department says the Tantallon fire northwest of the provincial capital’s downtown is now under control, meaning it is not expected to grow but is not yet out.
But for the thousands of residents who were forced from their homes, uncertainty and questions remain.
The blaze broke out a week ago, forcing 16-thousand people from their suburban homes and damaging or destroying some 200 structures, including 151 homes.
A Nova Scotia technician of forest resources with the natural resources department, Dave Steeves, says what follows now will be a labour-intensive process of going from home to home and making sure everything is safe for residents.
The City of Halifax told residents yesterday it could take up to 14 days for people of the hardest-hit areas to be allowed back.
Officials have said firefighters need to ensure all hot spots are extinguished, and infrastructure such as roads and electrical grids need to be checked.
Meanwhile, in Shelburne County, the Barrington Lake wildfire – the largest in the province’s history– continues to burn out of control.
The blaze covered 250 square kilometres as of Sunday morning and has destroyed at least 50 homes and cottages.
Dave Rockwood, of Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources, says two more smaller fires in the province have been brought under control, which will allow more resources to be shifted to fighting the Barrington Lake fire.
Pictou County District RCMP are investigating three separate arson scenes in Pictou County on Friday.
At approximately 1:30 a.m., RCMP and firefighters responded to a fire in a commercial building on Highway 4 in Alma.
The Alma Volunteer Fire Department was able to extinguish it.
Then, at about 2:25 a.m., a second fire was reported on Granton Abercrombie Rd. in Granton.
RCMP officers learned that a green bin at the side of the road had been lit on fire.
The fire department was able to successfully put out the flames.
At about 2:40 a.m., a third fire was reported on Mount William Rd. in Mount William.
RCMP officers learned that recycling bags at the side of the road had been lit on fire.
RCMP officers were able to successfully extinguish the fire.
Initial investigation has determined that all three fires were the result of arson.
The Nova Scotia government says it is investigating the theft of personal information through a global privacy breach to a third-party file transfer system the province was using.
Cyber Security and Digital Solutions Minister Colton LeBlanc says the province has yet to determine what information may have been taken or how many Nova Scotians could be affected by the breach to software company MoveIt’s products.
The MoveIt software made by Burlington, Massachusetts-based company Ipswitch, allows organizations to transfer files and data between employees, departments and customers.
Progress Software, the parent company of Ipswitch, confirmed a vulnerability in its software last week, saying the issue could lead to potential unauthorized access of users’ systems and files.
Several Nova Scotia police officers, including New Glasgow Regional Police Cst Tyler Shipley, Cst Daniel Worth and Constable Kelsey Grant, have been recognized for their incredible work to take impaired drivers off the roads at MADD Canada’s inaugural Constable Heidi Stevenson’s Watch Award ceremony.
