Rare, ‘Very Aggressive’ Wildfire in Canada Forces Evacuations and State of Emergency

Firefighters in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia are battling a rare and highly aggressive wildfire that has burned buildings and forced residents to flee their homes.

According to CBC, officials in Halifax — the capital of Nova Scotia — declared a local state of emergency as the fire burned on Monday. About 16,400 residents had been affected by evacuations.

"This fire has not been contained," Deputy Chief David Meldrum of the Halifax Fire Department explained Monday, according to CTV News. "This fire is not under control."

The "very aggressive" fire was initially reported in the Westwood Hills subdivision on Sunday afternoon and quickly spread through the area, according to the outlet.

Officials did not yet have an estimate on the number of structures lost so far, Meldrum said.

The state of emergency will remain in effect for at least a week, according to the Guardian. As of Monday, no injuries have been reported.

David Steeves of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables told reporters that the blaze reached a size of about 1,950 acres and has remained stable Monday despite concerns of it spreading due to winds.

"Given the winds, there were significant concerns that the fire was going to spread in a southerly direction, but there was no significant gain or loss," he told CTV News.

Steeves explained that warm and dry conditions in the region create a dangerous situation where fires can rapidly expand.

According to the Guardian, fires in Nova Scotia are rare, with the largest — a blaze that spread 10 miles — occurring in 1976.