RESERVE MINES, NS –
Fire crews in Reserve Mines, NS, scrambled to put out the flames of a large brush fire on Neville Street Easter weekend, as it inched closer to homes.
Even before crews arrived, they could see it from the station and surrounding community.
“We thought it was a structure fire from the orange glow that was in the sky,” said Reserve Mines Fire Chief Steven Binder.
It took more than a dozen fire fighters two hours to get the fire under control.
Binder says the weather conditions, especially the wind, fueled the flames.
“It’s only a matter of a few feet. Homeowners had to move vehicles out of the way. It was a close call for sure,” Binder said.
Nine grass and brush fires were reported throughout the Cape Breton Regional Municipality over the weekend keeping crews busy.
After a quiet couple of years because of the pandemic, grass fires are once again igniting concerns.
“When we have so many, our numbers are extremely high in CBRM, it fatigues firefighters unnecessarily,” said CBRM Deputy Fire Chief Chris March.
The problem seems to be spreading to the mainland as well.
Firefighters responded to a field fire on Church Street in Chipmans Corner, NS, on Saturday.
“We don’t want people to light them for any reason. There’s no value in lighting them,” March said
Crews are hoping for more wet weather to extinguish this annual problem, otherwise they could be in for a busy fire season.