Nova ScotiaTom Flynn, chief of the Wallace District Volunteer Fire Department, says the main building at Aquashell Holdings in Wallace, N.S., is “a total loss” after a fire tore through the facility.Multiple departments battle wind-whipped fire at Aquashell Holdings Inc. in Wallace, N.S.CBC News · Posted: Dec 08, 2025 12:24 PM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Chief Tom Flynn of the Wallace District Volunteer Fire Department said the fire was reported at Aquashell Holdings Inc. just after 10 a.m. Monday. (Submitted by Lisa Betts)The main building of a fish plant in Cumberland County has been destroyed by a fire that tore through the facility Monday.Multiple fire departments responded to the blaze at Aquashell Holdings Inc., a shellfish processing facility in Wallace, N.S., on the Northumberland Strait.Tom Flynn, chief of the Wallace District Volunteer Fire Department, said the fire was reported just after 10 a.m. At its peak, around eight departments were on the scene.He said strong winds made firefighting efforts difficult.”There was no stopping it, so it was just very much defensive [firefighting] trying to keep it from spreading anywhere else,” Flynn said. “It was like a firestorm.”He said that as of Monday evening, crews had the fire under control and were dealing with hot spots.Several local fire departments responded to the fire in Wallace, N.S., on Monday morning. (Submitted by Lisa Betts)Cumberland County’s chief administrative officer, Greg Herrett, said that an area close to the facility itself was evacuated due to smoke concerns. No injuries were reported. “We do have some folks that are at least temporarily displaced,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people in Wallace. [Aquashell] is a major employer in the area, and obviously this will be devastating for many of them, especially at this time of year.”According to Flynn, the evacuation area included the homes and buildings directly across from the processing plant.District councillor Kathy Redmond confirmed earlier Monday that power in the Wallace and Malagash areas had been shut off as firefighters battled the blaze, and a comfort centre was set up at the Wallace fire hall.Around 460 homes and businesses were without power as of 2 p.m., according to the Nova Scotia Power outage map. Power was restored later in the day.“All of our little communities around here always rallied,” Redmond said, adding that many community members in Wallace are also volunteer firefighters. “It’s very emotional. [I] hope that they all get out of that safely. So devastating for a small village that has so much care for each other.”MORE TOP STORIES
‘A firestorm’: Blaze at Cumberland County fish plant destroys facility’s main building
