Fire chief in Cape Breton troubled by increased brush fire activity
Fire chief in Cape Breton troubled by increased brush fire activity
https://www.cbc.ca/lite/story/9.7180395
Publish Date: 2026-04-30 16:18:00
Source Domain: www.cbc.ca
Fire chief in Cape Breton troubled by increased brush fire activity
Anna Rak(external link) | CBC News | Posted: April 30, 2026 9:00 AM | Last Updated: 13 hours ago
North Sydney department responded to 18 calls to brush fires last week
Image | North Sydney Fire
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A fire chief in Cape Breton Regional Municipality says he’s concerned about the number of brush fires his crews are being summoned to early in the spring.
North Sydney Chief Lloyd MacIntosh told CBC News on Tuesday that his department responded to 18 calls for brush fires last week.
That one-week total represents a third of the 56 calls it answered for grass and brush fires during the entire 2025 season.
“This year seems to be a little bit more than last year,” MacIntosh said in an interview. “Last night, we answered eight calls alone just for grass and brush.”
Wildfire season in Nova Scotia runs from March 15 to Oct. 15, but the province sees most of its wildfires in April and May when the grass is dry and brown, Scott Tingley of the Department of Natural Resources said earlier this month.
The province sets daily burn restrictions at 2 p.m. that let people know whether they can have a small domestic fire starting at 2 p.m., 7 p.m., or not at all.
No burning is permitted between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. on any day during the fire season.
Image | Lloyd MacIntosh
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MacIntosh said that while conditions are dry, the cause of the fires is uncertain. He said his department has not been receiving many calls this year about people burning when they’re not supposed to.
“They don’t seem to be backyard fires,” he said. “These are basically grass and brush fires in the wild.”
Fire departments on the other side of the island are reporting a different story. In Inverness County, the Cheticamp and Inverness…
