maaxx.ca

Halifax, A bushfire in the eastern Canadian city of Halifax has prompted mandatory evacuation orders for thousands of homes, with officials saying residents were not allowed to return until notified by the city authorities.

Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said around 18,000 people were affected by the evacuation.

The evacuation order issued on Sunday covered the areas of Hammonds Plain, Upper Tantallon and Pockwock. This suburban community is home to many city workers and is located approximately 15 miles from Halifax. Residents of the nearby neighborhood, which is surrounded by forest, were restless throughout the night.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted on Monday that the fire situation in the province of Nova Scotia, where Halifax is located, was “very serious”, and that his government stood ready to provide assistance if needed.

Halifax Regional Deputy Fire and Emergency Chief Dave Meldrum told reporters early Monday that fires burning in the Tantallon and Hammonds Plains areas “are ongoing and still out of control.” The cause of the fire is still under investigation and no fatalities or injuries have been reported.

Mr Meldrum added that around 100 firefighters fought the blaze overnight. He also said emergency crews had a lot of work to do over the next “several days”.

The city declared a local state of emergency Sunday night after fires led to evacuations and power outages, with authorities also closing several schools in affected areas.

Wildfires, aided by high winds and dry wood, damaged dozens of homes and also hampered rescue services. The state of emergency will be in effect for seven days unless it is lifted or extended, the municipality said.

Canada’s western provinces of Alberta, which votes on Monday, and British Columbia are also facing an unusually warm spring this year that has sparked several wildfires out of control, reducing oil and gas production. But most of those fires have been brought under control, allowing oil and gas production to resume.

In the main oil-producing province of Alberta, the intensity of one of the toughest fire seasons in years continued to ease, allowing oil and gas producers to restart production qu ‘they had temporarily interrupted out of caution.

Crescent Point Energy said it restored 45,000 barrels of oil-equivalent production it had previously halted, while Paramount Resources said it was restoring most of the production that had been reduced by the fires.