Air quality drops as smoke spreads from Annapolis County wildfire
Smoke from an out-of-control wildfire in western Nova Scotia is drifting into parts of the province more than 100 kilometres away, with Environment Canada cautioning it could lead to poor air quality and reduced visibility in some areas.
The Long Lake fire in Annapolis County more than doubled in size over the weekend, destroying and damaging a number of homes and leading to further evacuations in the area.
SEE ALSO: The Weather Network's new Fire & Smoke map helps you plan ahead and stay safe
On Tuesday morning, Environment Canada said in a statement that air quality is reduced in Halifax and Lunenburg counties, while plumes of smoke are expected to settle in Kings and Hants counties in the afternoon as the wind shifts. There is an air quality warning for Annapolis County.
A tanker truck from the Nova Scotia Department of Public Works is shown near the Long Lake fire in a photo published Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (Nova Scotia Department of Public Works)
Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources said Monday evening the Long Lake fire was now estimated at about 80 square kilometres in size. More than 1,000 people in the area have been forced to leave their homes.
Tim Donald, who evacuated his New Albany, N.S., home on Sunday evening, said rain that fell in the area Monday night was "a godsend," but far more is needed.
"The fields and everything are as dry as can be, embers are falling out of the sky. They can start a fire anywhere, so quick," he told CBC Radio's Information Morning. "And the embers are travelling a long, long distance, like miles and miles. It's very scary."
Environment Canada said poor air quality can be an issue for people over 65 and for young children, and for people who work outdoors, have chronic health conditions or who are pregnant.
Tim Donald, who was evacuated Sunday from his home in New Albany, N.S., is shown Monday at the evacuation centre at the Nova Scotia Community College in Middleton, N.S. (Jeorge Sadi/CBC)
Melanie Layte, a care co-ordinator with Annapolis Valley Home Care, which serves about 100 clients from Windsor to Digby, said the air quality in the area has been up and down since a lightning strike ignited the Long Lake fire about two weeks ago.
Some days are fine, while on others, there is a heavy orange-hued cloud of smoke that hangs in the air. The poor days are particularly difficult for people with respiratory or heart issues.
"We have had a few clients that have actually relocated due to the heavy smoke due to chronic conditions that the smoke affects," she said.
Ian Hubbard, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the smoke that many people could see and smell in the Halifax area Tuesday morning was simply driven east by the wind.
A map issued by the provincial government on Monday Aug. 25, 2025, shows the estimated perimeter of the Annapolis County wildfire and the evacuation zone. (Province of Nova Scotia)
"The smoke is kind of at the mercy of where the wind is going to carry it," he said. "So it hasn't been just the local area of Annapolis County that's been affected by the smoke. It has made its way around to several areas of mainland Nova Scotia for sure."
While parts of Halifax and the Eastern Shore received good amounts of rain Monday night, precipitation amounts were far lower in Annapolis County, he said. At most, the area of the wildfire likely received no more than five millimetres of rain.
Thumbnail courtesy of Craig Paisley/CBC.
The story was originally written by Richard Cuthbertson and published for CBC News.