HALIFAX — A small wildfire burning out of control on the western outskirts of Halifax was caused by human activity, Nova Scotia's manager of forest protection said Wednesday.
Scott Tingley with the Natural Resources Department told reporters that an open fire pit was found at the scene of the fire near Susies Lake, which is about 10 kilometres west of downtown Halifax.
"There was nobody in the area when crews arrived on the scene, that makes it impossible to hold the person or people responsible to account," Tingley said at a news briefing. "That's frustrating to everyone."
Open fires are banned across Nova Scotia and violations come with a $25,000 fine. The province has also banned hiking, fishing and using vehicles in the woods, as well as any camping outside of designated camp sites. Anyone caught breaking the rules will face the same $25,000 punishment.
Twelve people have been fined since last week, Premier Tim Houston told reporters.
"It's certainly my hope that every single one of those is fully prosecuted and collected. It's just too serious of a situation right now," Houston said.
The Susies Lake fire erupted on Tuesday afternoon close to businesses and homes in the Bayers Lake area. The fire prompted the evacuation of three businesses in the Bayers Lake business park on Wednesday morning. It also forced a hardware store and restaurant to close the day before. An outpatient clinic in the Susies Lake area also remained closed Wednesday.
The fire measured between 25 and 30 hectares on Wednesday morning, but firefighters managed to beat it back to about 15 hectares by the afternoon, Tingley said.
"It's not growing. But we're not ready to say it's being held just yet."
Officials said there was a brief period of favourable foggy conditions for firefighters, with support from water bombers to continue attacking the flames, but temperatures were expected to climb to 27 C later in the day.
Tingley said in the last 24 hours, firefighters in the province have responded to 17 reports of wildfires.
Firefighters were able to suppress and extinguish "a number of them quite easily" which allowed them to focus resources on the larger fires that require more attention, Tingley said.
"Why are we getting these fires? It's dry, and unfortunately there's activities out there that are happening that shouldn't be," he said.
Houston said there's been no loss of life or of structures thanks to the efforts of Nova Scotia's firefighters.
"The main reason we haven't had a catastrophe yet is our firefighters. They're stretched very, very thin right now … they've done an amazing job," he said.
The premier stressed that the "province is a tinder box" and urged Nova Scotians to take the wildfire restrictions seriously.
"I get that people want to go for a hike or want to go for walk in the woods with their dog. But how would you like to be stuck in the woods while there's a fire burning around you?"
Houston added that there's no significant rain in the forecast, and that as a result it's likely going to be "a long next few weeks."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2025.
Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
