UPDATED: 3:50 p.m.
More evacuees are returning home in Shelburne County:
A section of Highway 103 in Shelburne County will remain closed today.
The Department of Public Works says the timing for re-opening Exits 27-30 to essential traffic only is not known.
Premier Tim Houston said that the road will only be opened when it is deemed safe to do so.
“There has been a lot of analysis about whether the highway can be safely opened at this time and as of right now, it cannot,” said Houston. “The fire marshal has indicated that due to the evolving situation at the [landfill] and other factors, it is just not possible to safely open the 103 at this time.”
A new fire that popped up over the weekend at a municipal landfill off the 103 is part of the reason for the delay. The construction and demolition debris disposal site also stores some lobster fishing equipment.
“We have experts in from various parts of the country to excavate that and get a significant amount of water on it to try and stop it out in the next few days,” said Municipality of the District of Barrington Warden Eddie Nickerson.
Nickerson said the fire started as a result of the Barrington Lake wildfire.
People are asked not to travel to the area.
In the latest update, the Barrington Lake fire is still out of control at an estimated 24,950 hectares, but fire crews are thankful for the rain.
There’s still a ban on travel and activities in wooded areas in Shelburne County.
Shelburne’s Warden is thanking firefighters for all they’re doing.
Penny Smith says they are true heroes, and we owe them a debt that will be next to impossible to re-pay.
Property assessments are currently being done by a provincial task-force.
Smith said it will then be passed on to the municipality.
“We’ve been told this is likely to occur on Tuesday at the earliest. It’s important to remember that assessments take time, and are done with safety as the top priority,” said Smith.
The same goes for the Municipality of Barrington when it comes to assessments.
She says they’ll communicate what donations are needed at comfort centres and the DNRR camp once inventory has been taken.
About 7,000 people were evacuated from their homes over the last week.
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