More than 350 homes and cottages have been evacuated in the Lake George area of Kings County as a wildfire continues to burn out of control.
The fire, which broke out Sunday, was estimated at 290 hectares Wednesday, according to a post on X from the Department of Natural Resources. The fire had been estimated to be 150 hectares on Tuesday.
There have been no reports of damage to any structures, the post said.
An additional 78 properties were evacuated on Wednesday morning, according to Dan Stovel, the regional emergency management co-ordinator for Kings County.
That brings the total number of evacuations to 353, he said. Of those, 79 are believed to be full-time residences, not cottages.
Stovel said as many as 65 residents have registered with a reception centre at the Louis Millett Centre in New Minas, but that number was expected to grow throughout Wednesday.
An alert issued at 10:14 a.m. AT said the new evacuations were for Aylesford Road from Fox Mountain Campground to 3847 Aylesford Rd., all addresses on Spruce Drive, Birch Lane and Blue Lane, and all addresses between 5 North River Rd. to 1493 North River Rd.
David Corkum, mayor of the Municipality of the County of Kings, said evacuees are anxious, but they have been overwhelmed by the support from Nova Scotians. He noted one community volunteer travelled some 500 kilometres from Sydney to help out.
“It’s been pretty stressful,” Corkum told CBC Radio’s Information Morning Nova Scotia on Wednesday. “They’re really really feeling desperate and anxious and very concerned about what they’re going to go back to.”
A crew of 23 DNR and 20 local firefighters were helping fight the fire on Wednesday.
Six planes — four from the Northwest Territories and two from Quebec — were dropping water. They were being assisted by two contracted helicopters and one from DNR.
Eighteen pieces of heavy equipment were on scene building fire breaks, up from six on Tuesday.
Jim Rudderham, DNR’s director of fleet and forest protection, told reporters the cause of the fire has not been determined, but it’s presumed human activity is responsible since there has been no lightning in the area.
“It’s frustrating for us and for everybody when this happens,” Rudderham said.
The fire broke out just one day after the Long Lake wildfire in Annapolis County, which began Aug. 13 and destroyed 20 homes, was finally deemed under control.
