Homes have been ordered to evacuate as the wildfire burning near Jacket Lake in Halifax County has grown significantly and remains out of control.
The Department of Natural Resources says the fire on Mooseland Road is now estimated at 300 hectares with an evacuation order in place for 4315 Mooseland Road to Highway 7.
Residents are told to evacuate told right away, follow evacuation routes and direction of local authorities.
Comfort Centre
An evacuation centre is available at Musquodoboit Rural High School 11980, Hwy #224 Middle Musquodoboit as well as Marine Drive Academy, 479 Church Point Road in Sheet Harbour.
The Mooseland Road wildfire has expanded and a mandatory evacuation order has been issued for civic address 4315 Mooseland Road down to Highway 7. Avoid the area if not affected.
— Nova Scotia Emergency Management (@NSEmergency) July 16, 2026
Evacuees can register at evacuation centres located at Musquodoboit Rural High school, 11980 Hwy… pic.twitter.com/Ue0OIf9Eqd
Crews fighting
There are 24 DNR and 31 volunteers on site fighting the blaze. Two DNR helicopters and four fixed water bombers are also working on the fire with two fixed-wing water bombers on the way from Newfoundland.
People are being told to avoid the area while crews continue their work.
The Halifax Professional Fire Fighters (HPFF) union says it popped up around 7 p.m. Wednesday.
They add that the area is difficult to access, creating challenges for suppression efforts and that due to the time of day, aerial resources were unavailable, leaving crews to begin using ground resources to bring the blaze under control. Firefighters were only able to access a portion of the fire before it became too dark to continue.
On Thursday morning, HPFF says they returned to the scene alongside DNR to assess the extent of the fire and continue containment efforts.
Additionally, off-duty HPFF’s have been called in to support efforts.
Meanwhile a wildfire in Annapolis County is now under control.
More to come…
-with files from Caitlin Snow and Evan Taylor
