All Evacuees of Lake George Wildfire Can Return Home; Fire Status Changed to Held
Structure protection units at work at Lake George on Thursday, October 2. (Province of Nova Scotia)
All residents evacuated because of the Lake George wildfire in Kings County will be able to return home Thursday, October 9.
The re-entry will be done in a phased approach with designated checkpoints:
- 10 a.m. to noon – all residents living on North River Road and Aylesford Lake can return at the checkpoint on North River Road before Old Mill Lane
- noon to 2 p.m. – all residents living on Lake George and 3847 to 4955 Aylesford Rd. can return at the checkpoint on North River Road before Old Mill Lane
- noon to 2 p.m. – residents of 5789 to 6128 Aylesford Rd. can return at the Fox Mountain campground checkpoint.
Barricades will remain in place, allowing re-entry for residents only and not the general public. Residents will need to provide a piece of identification proving their civic address at the checkpoint for re-entry.
“I am grateful to hear that all families can return to their homes, I can only imagine the relief this brings to the community,” said Kim Masland, Minister of Emergency Management. “We thank all the organizations and crews responding to this incident. I know they have put in tremendous efforts and dedicated hard work to fight this fire and ensure the safety of residents and properties.
A state of local emergency remains in place in the county. The active wildfire zone also remains barricaded and only staff responding to the wildfire are permitted in this area. This includes Aylesford Road between G2 Road and 5789 Aylesford Rd.
The decision to allow people to go back to their homes is based on an assessment of current fire behaviour, air quality and road access by the Department of Natural Resources. The Department changed the status of the wildfire to being held today, October 8. That means the fire is not likely to grow or move as long as conditions do not change. It is still not under control and could still grow if conditions change, but the risk is low for the areas that were evacuated.
Residents are also advised to:
- drive with caution, as fire crews may still be working in the area
- be aware of air quality advisories and limit exposure if sensitive to smoke
- remain prepared to evacuate should fire behaviour change.
The Municipality of the County of Kings will be providing information on waste pickup at: https://www.kingsremo.ca/
Quotes:
“Municipal council, staff and the municipality’s partners in Kings REMO are deeply grateful to one and all involved in managing the Lake George wildfire. Emergency responders from near and far came together day after day in challenging conditions, and we will never forget it. We know they’ll continue until the fire is under control and then extinguished. Thank you to everyone who obeyed the evacuation orders to let the emergency responders do what they do best.”
— Dave Corkum, Mayor, Municipality of the County of Kings
Quick Facts:
- the Lake George wildfire is currently estimated at 288 hectares
- the evacuation zone included about 350 civic addresses - an emergency financial support program is available for those displaced from their primary residence, based on the number of days evacuated
- emergencies are stressful and can be overwhelming; mental health and well-being resources available to support people are listed at the end of this release
- Nova Scotians are encouraged to watch for regular, official updates on provincial government social media accounts and the emergency alerts and information web page
Additional Resources:
Latest information on Lake George wildfire (provincial emergency alerts and information web page): https://novascotia.ca/alerts/
Wildfire updates from Kings County Regional Emergency Management Organization (REMO): https://www.kingsremo.ca/
Financial support for evacuees: https://novascotia.ca/wildfire-support/#financial-support
Department of Natural Resources on X: https://x.com/NS_DNR
Department of Emergency Management:
Province of Nova Scotia:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nsgov
- X: https://x.com/nsgov
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nsgov/
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nsgov.bsky.social
Emergency mental healthcare is available at the toll-free numbers below or a hospital emergency department:
- provincial mental health and addictions crisis line: 1-888-429-8167 (available 24 hours a day)
- national suicide crisis helpline: 988 (24 hours)
- Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868 (24 hours)
- Hope for Wellness Helpline (Indigenous): 1-800-777-5888
Support with a mental health or addiction concern is available through the provincial mental health and addictions intake service at 1-855-922-1122 or https://accesswellness.lifeworks.com/nova-scotia-en.html