Rain in coastal provinces, which have been ravaged by historic fires for nearly a week, prompted relief to firefighters in Nova Scotia on Saturday.
• Also read: LIVE | Everything you need to know about Quebec wildfires
• Also read: Wildfires: encouraging news in Sept-Îles
• Also read: Forest fires: “We won’t let anyone down”
85% of the wildfire that threatened Nova Scotia’s capital, Halifax, has been brought under control and the state has gone from out of control to stable, authorities said during a news conference Saturday morning.
“It’s great,” said Dave Meldrum, deputy chief of Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services. “It’s not about a big downpour that drains and disappears. The water can penetrate the ground better,” he said, as the province expects more rainfall in the coming days.
“However, the fire has not gone out and will not be declared extinguished for some time,” said Dave Steeves of the province’s Department of Natural Resources.
This allowed half of the 16,000 people evacuated from the suburbs northeast of Halifax to return home on Friday evening.
“This week has been surreal, one of the strangest of my life,” Shawn Lavigne, who had to vacate his home on Sunday, told public media CBC. “Honestly, I’ve never been happier to see dirty dishes than last night. “It’s great to be home,” he added, smiling.
Of the five fires currently ravaging Nova Scotia, the largest continues to spread through the southwestern part of the province.
Canadian forces and American firefighters are expected there on Saturday and Sunday, as well as firefighters initially planned for Halifax.