**** HRM Release
Wildfire near Susies Lake – Aug. 13
The Halifax Regional Municipality is advising residents that this morning the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (NSDNR) confirmed that the area of the Susies Lake wildfire is approximately 15 hectares and remains out of control.
NSDNR firefighters have been fighting the wildfire since early this morning and additional Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency (HRFE) personnel and equipment have returned to the scene to assist.
At this time, there is still no threat to residents and structures and it is anticipated that firefighting efforts will continue throughout the day, given the weather conditions.
Mandatory evacuation
In order to assist firefighting operations, protect residents and workers and to manage traffic in the area, HRFE has issued a mandatory evacuation of all businesses in the plaza on the west side of Chain Lake Drive, between the off-ramp for Highway 2 to Julius Boulevard. This encompasses the civic addresses at 205, 213 and 225 Chain Lake Drive.
Chain Lake Drive has been reopened by Halifax Regional Police (HRP) in order to reduce traffic congestion through Bayers Lake.
Residents are still strongly advised to avoid unnecessary travel into the Bayers Lake area, until advised otherwise, as reducing traffic congestion will help emergency crews respond to the fire.
Residents are also encouraged to follow official municipal and provincial government social media channels for the latest information on the status of the wildfire so that they can be prepared in the event the situation changes.
As always, in the event of further evacuations, in addition to public service announcements, mass notification systems (e.g. hfxALERT and Alert Ready) will be used to issue alerts.
Transit operations
Residents are advised that Route 21 for Timberlea will return to regular routing through Bayers Lake and Route 28 Bayers Lake will remain on detour, given the mandatory evacuation.
For the latest updates on Halifax Transit service, follow @hfxtransit.bsky.social and visit the webpage.
Drones are prohibited
Residents are reminded that the operation of a drone within 9.3 km of the wildfire is prohibited as it will impede firefighting operations. If unauthorized drones are present in the area, firefighting aircraft must be grounded and crews will have to suspend operations, putting residents and communities at risk.
Anyone found in contravention of this could be subject to fines and/or jail time.
Additional information and guidance
Local residents affected by smoke are advised to shelter in place, stay inside and turn off air exchangers. There are currently no evacuations of residential properties in the area.
Residents are encouraged to register for hfxALERT, the municipality’s mass notification system to receive urgent and non-urgent public alerts by phone, email or text.
Additional information will be provided as it becomes available on our webpage and shared via Bluesky at @hfxgov.bsky.social, Facebook at @hfxgov and Instagram at @hfxmoments.
For more information, visit halifax.ca/emergency-communication.
