A helicopter drops a load of water on the fire near Paradise Lake as crews continue to battle the out-of-control Long Lake wildfire. Photo by Province of Nova ScotiaArticle contentCrews still haven’t been able to visit all of the properties to check on homes that could be damaged by the Long Lake wildfire.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle content“We want to make sure that things are as safe as possible before we can get in there to conduct full assessments to get a full picture of what is going on,” Andrew Mitton, the Department of Emergency Management’s director of regional operations, said Aug. 27 during an afternoon news conference. “We don’t want anybody getting hurt.”Article contentArticle contentArticle contentThe active fire and downed trees are some of the items preventing them from accessing the sites. Mitton said Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials will let his department know when it is safe to go in for the assessments. Mitton said he hopes they can be done in the next day or so.Article contentAn undisclosed number of homes have been damaged or destroyed by the out-of-control fire. Officials with the County of Annapolis have been notifying residents whose properties have been effected.Article contentDeputy Warden Dustin Enslow said Aug. 26 they were nearly complete contacting all home owners. No update was provided on Aug. 27.Article contentEnslow has said the municipality will release how many homes have been effected once all residents have been notified and all sites have been checked. Until that time, he asked people to respect the sensitivity of the situation.Article contentArticle content A burned wooded area in West Dalhousie after the out-of-control Long Lake wildfire made its way through. Photo by Province of Nova ScotiaArticle contentAn estimated 450 to 470 homes and about 1,200 people have been evacuated.Article contentArticle contentMore resources, including double the number of pieces of heavy equipment making fire breaks and firefighters, have been brought in to fight the blaze. Helicopters from Canadian companies, including some that had been fighting fires in Newfoundland, were heading to Nova Scotia. Jim Rudderham, DNR’s director of fleet and forest protection, said some could arrive Aug. 27.Article content“This is a large fire and it needs more resources on the ground and in the air,” he said. “We are putting everything at this fire that we can to get this under control as quick as we can.”Article content A helicopter picks up a load of water near Paradise Lake while fighting the out-of-control Long Lake wildfire. Photo by Province of Nova ScotiaArticle contentArticle contentUtilityArticle contentNova Scotia Power knows several poles have been damaged by the wildfire, but hasn’t been able to get crews in to do a full assessment due to safety concerns.Article content“In some cases, we know some power poles have been charred by the wildfire and in other instances there are broken poles that have come down,” spokesperson Jacqueline Foster said in a statement.
Still not safe to conduct final home assessments at Long Lake wildfire
