Sindy and Dion Schofield’s home suffered melted siding but otherwise withstood flames bearing down on it the Long Lake wildfire grew quickly on Aug. 24. The number of homes saved was attributed to the structural protection system that used sprinklers to soak homes and yards. One of the sprinklers can be seen at the peak of the roof.Article contentAs a wall of wind-driven flame 20 storeys high bore down on the community of West Dalhousie almost two weeks ago, Dave Rockwood didn’t expect any of the homes in the community to remain standing.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 contentBut most of them did, protected by the largest structural protection operation ever set up in the province.Article contentArticle contentThe structural protection units — a series of sprinklers attached to homes to protect them — started to be set up not long after the fire started south of the West Dalhousie Road on Aug. 13. For a week, they were there to pump water in the space around homes, keeping it wet and less combustible to try to prevent flames from reaching houses.Article contentArticle contentThey stretched over a total of 10 kilometres, fed by portable water pumps pulling water from waterways or man-made tanks. trying to create a protective bubble of humidity and moisture.Article contentThe first Sunday the system was tested, it pumped 750,000 gallons of water in a 24-hour period around the community, said Rockwood, the provincial fire and ground search and rescue co-ordinator with the Department of Emergency Management.Article contentWinds shiftArticle content Excavators with grinding attachments mulch the ditches in West Dalhousie as crew try to contain the out-of-control Long Lake wildfire.Province of Nova Scotia Province of Nova ScotiaArticle contentOn Aug. 24, the day the fire changed direction from the wind effects of hurricane Erin, Rockwood and fire crews abandoned their command post and headed to a safer location on Morse Road. He said he didn’t think any homes would be saved.Article content“I didn’t expect anything to be left. We were looking at 200-foot flames peaking over the ridge. Quite frankly, it’s amazing that the structures that are there are still there with the fire behaviour that we’ve seen.”Article contentArticle contentOnly three of the 88 homes protected by the sprinkler system were destroyed.Article contentArticle content“That’s a testament to the amount of work the volunteer firefighters did around the community,” said Rockwood, who worked for DNR for 20 years before moving to emergency management.Article content“In that time we did do smaller (scale) structural protection on large events where we could, but sometimes you don’t have time or you just don’t have the equipment,” he said.Article contentTime makes a differenceArticle contentJim Rudderham, the director of fleet and forest protection for DNR, said the fire’s early movement provided some time for the structural protection to be set up because it was moving away from homes initially and wildland firefighters were able to keep flames away while sprinklers were attached to houses.
‘I didn’t expect anything to be left’: largest structural protection operation ever in Nova Scotia saved homes from wildfire
