N.S. crews continue battling out-of-control wildfire northeast of Halifax

Crews in Nova Scotia are continuing to fight an out-of-control wildfire northeast of Halifax this morning.

The province’s Natural Resources Department says the fire on Mooseland Road is now estimated to be nearly 14 square kilometres in size.

Officials say the reduced estimate from the 17 square kilometres reported Friday is after more accurate mapping. 

A spokesperson for the province’s fire response says that, for example, bodies of water have been removed from the estimated size of the fire.

Two fixed-wing water bombers from Newfoundland and Labrador are responding to the fire alongside two of Nova Scotia’s helicopters and four of the province’s fixed-wing water bombers. 

Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency issued a mandatory evacuation order for part of the rural area of Mooseland Road on Thursday, affecting an estimated 100 to 150 people.

Officials say local and provincial crews have been fighting the fire since Wednesday.

The province expects to give another update on the wildfire this afternoon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2026.

— By Eli Ridder in Fredericton, with files from Lyndsay Armstrong.

Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.