Halifax-area crews battling forest fire near Bayers Lake
Smoke could be seen around Halifax on Tuesday afternoon
Halifax residents are being asked to avoid the Bayers Lake Business Park as firefighters battle a wildfire in the area. Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Chief Dave Meldrum told CBC News the call for the fire came in around 2:30 p.m.
Once crews arrived, they encountered a fire in the wooded area behind Julius Boulevard and Dugger McNeil Drive, behind Kent Building Supplies.
Halifax Fire has 13 trucks at the scene, about 10 kilometres west of downtown Halifax.
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All businesses between Kent and Julius Boulevard have been evacuated. Other businesses in the area have told CBC News they have been asked to evacuate as well, and police are asking everyone to avoid the Bayers Lake area.
No residences have been evacuated at this stage, police told CBC News around 4 p.m. AT. Meldrum said there is no current risk to structures.
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Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is also responding to the fire.
DNR said its helicopter and four air tanker planes from New Brunswick are heading to Bayers Lake now.
The size of the fire is not yet known.
Police said some streets have been closed, including Chain Lake Drive.
Smoke billowing out behind a building in the Bayers Lake Business Park on Tuesday around 3:15 p.m. (Michael Gorman/CBC)
"Lessening the traffic congestion will help crews respond to the fire and allow those evacuating to leave safely," police told CBC News in an email.
Nova Scotia Health confirmed the Bayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre is being evacuated and that the facility's emergency response plans are being activated. Anyone with an appointment scheduled for the remainder of the day should not attend.
Evacuation alerts can happen suddenly. It's important to have a grab-and-go emergency kit ready throughout the wildfire season. (The Weather Network)
Veronica MacIsaac was out for lunch at Jack Astor's in Bayers Lake when a friend spotted the smoke.
"Behind the side of Bayers Lake where the Giant Tiger would be, there was just a huge big cloud of smoke and it very quickly was spreading through the restaurant," MacIsaac told CBC News.
On Highway 102, wildfire smoke can be seen billowing from behind the Bayers Lake Business Park in Halifax. (Michael Gorman/CBC)
"And people were quickly paying their bills and trying to get out of there."
MacIsaac said one of the staff at the restaurant drove out to see what was happening and noted some areas were being evacuated and roads were closing.
"We got in an Uber and tried to get out of there, but traffic was already starting to get pretty congested," she said.
Smoke from this fire could be seen across Halifax Tuesday afternoon.
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Thumbnail courtesy of Nathan Coleman/The Weather Network.
The story was originally written by Anjuli Patil and published for CBC News. It contains files from Andrew Sampson and Carolyn Ray.