Burn Restrictions Ready for Wildfire Season

Firefighters across Nova Scotia are preparing once again for “wildfire season, a time of year when grass, brush, and all-out forest fires challenge every community.

As the temperature warms and the weather dries the risk increases so the province monitors conditions and sets burning restrictions when and where needed. Those restrictions come into effect next Tuesday, March 15th.

Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton says, “As a former municipal fire chief, I know prevention is the best way to reduce the risk of wildfires. Restrictions are in place for the safety of our homes and communities.

Rushton added, “Burning is only permitted when it poses the lowest possible fire risk. I encourage all Nova Scotians to check before they burn and follow safe and responsible burning practices for outdoor fires.”

The BurnSafe map — https://novascotia.ca/burnsafe — will be updated each day at 2 pm to show if burning is permitted that day. 

If a county is shown in green, burning is permitted after 2 pm. If it is shown in yellow, burning is permitted after 7 pm. And, if red, burning is not permitted at all.

The map will appear grey between 8 am and 2 pm each day to indicate burning is not permitted anywhere in the province.

Provincial restrictions include domestic brush burning and campfires. Restrictions do not apply to campfires in licensed private, municipal, or provincial campgrounds with proper campfire facilities.

Industrial burning, which includes clearing agricultural land, clearing blueberry fields over two hectares in size, or burning brush piles larger than two by three metres, requires a permit from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.

Firefighters battled 113 wildfires covering 197 hectares across Nova Scotia last year.

Restrictions are also available by recorded message by calling the toll-free phone line at 1-855-564-2876.

Report wildfires at 1-800-565-2224 or 911.

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