Wildfire in Canada leads to 16,000 evacuations, sends smoke over Pa.

Thick plumes of heavy smoke fill the Halifax sky as an out-of-control fire in a suburban community quickly spread, engulfing multiple homes and forcing the evacuation of local residents, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Sunday May 28, 2023. (Kelly Clark/The Canadian Press via AP)AP

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — A wildfire that started Sunday on Canada's Atlantic coast has damaged about 200 houses and other structures and prompted the evacuation of 16,000 people, many of whom were eager to return to see whether homes and pets had survived.

Halifax Deputy Fire Chief David Meldrum said it was too early to give an exact count of homes destroyed, but the municipal government put the toll at about 200 buildings.

The National Weather Service says a high pressure system over the Atlantic Ocean is drawing smoke from the wildfire into mid-Atlantic regions, leading to an air quality alert in central Pa. and elsewhere.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston announced the province would be banning all travel and activity in all wooded areas as of 4 p.m. local time.

"We’re in a very serious situation in this province, and we need to take the steps that we can to protect Nova Scotia," he told a news conference via a video call from Shelburne, where the province's largest wildfire has been burning since the weekend.

"I wanted to get a sense of the damage here," he said. "It's extensive. It's heartbreaking."

Dan Cavanaugh was among two dozen people waiting Tuesday in a Halifax-area parking lot to learn if their suburban homes had been consumed by the wildfire.

"We’re like everyone else in this lot," said the 48-year-old insurance adjuster. "We’re not sure if we have a house to go back to or the extent of the damages."

Police officers were writing down the names of residents and calling people to be escorted to see what had become of their properties.

Sarah Lyon of the Nova Scotia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said an eight-member team was preparing to head out into the evacuation zone to retrieve animals left behind.

In all, about 16,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes northwest of Halifax, most of which are within a 30-minute drive of the port city's downtown. The area under mandatory evacuation orders covers about 100 square kilometers (38 miles).

The extended forecast is calling for hotter weather on Wednesday and no rain until Friday at the earliest.

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