Trudeau says Ottawa is ready to support fire-ravaged Nova Scotia 'in any ways we can'

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is ready to help the thousands of Nova Scotians fleeing  wildfires "in any ways we can."

An estimated 16,400 people have been affected by evacuation orders as a rapidly spreading fire burns in the Halifax area, covering about 788 hectares.

Hundreds of residents of a southwestern community also have had to flee as a separate wildfire burns out control in Shelburne County.

"We're going to be there for the people of Nova Scotia as they deal with these terrible wildfires," Trudeau said ahead of a meeting with Iceland's President Guðni Jóhannesson Ottawa on Monday.

The prime minister said he plans to speak to Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston and Halifax Mayor Mike Savage later in the day to assure them "the federal government will be there to support in any ways we can, as people are dealing with some pretty terrifying situations."

"We'll always be there to try to help make sure that nobody gets hurt in this very, very difficult moment," he added.

Halifax fire chief says it could take days to extinguish 

The Halifax-area fire was first reported Sunday afternoon and continues to pose a risk Monday. The wind is blowing from the north, causing the fire to blow back on itself — and there's no rain in the immediate forecast.

"We have a lot of work to do today, this week, for many days," said Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Deputy Chief Dave Meldrum during an update.

"It's going to take some time. These fires don't simply extinguish today and you're done. There's significant work that's required to come in and dig any hidden fires out, make sure there's no smouldering fire that's going to reignite.

The evacuations cover the communities of Hammonds Plains, Upper Tantallon and Pockwock, about 25 kilometres from Halifax. They're home to many commuters who work in the city

Fire officials said Monday that while no injuries have been reported, "numerous" buildings in the affected suburbs have been damaged or lost.

The cause of the Halifax fire is under investigation.

The Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables said the Shelburne County forest fire has grown to 6,270 hectares.

Some structures have been destroyed and others are threatened but there are no firm numbers yet, it said.

Minister concerned about firefighting resources

The Nova Scotia fires are just the latest to erupt during an unrelenting fire season that has scorched thousands of hectares of land and disrupted tens of thousands of lives.

A blaze in northeastern British Columbia has grown significantly, triggering evacuation orders. As of Sunday afternoon, the Donnie Creek blaze, burning southeast of Fort Nelson, covered an area of nearly 136,000 hectares.

Neighbouring Alberta is still grappling with an intense wildfire season — at one point, nearly 100 fires were burning more than one million hectares of land in the province and displacing close to 30,000 people. While some people have been allowed to return home, officials in Alberta warn the threat is not over. 

Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair told reporters Monday he's concerned about wearing out first responders before the end of summer. 

"Those people have been doing extraordinary work, but they have been working almost non-stop. Even the firefighter crews that are battling fires in Nova Scotia, some of them have been on the fires and on the scene from the very outset of this event and haven't had an opportunity to take a break," he said.

"So of course, we're concerned."

The minister said data shows that the risk of fire will remain extreme for the northern Prairies, northeastern British Columbia and parts of the Northwest Territories well into the weekend.

"The fire season that Canada is facing right now is extremely challenging and we recognize there is a need for more trained firefighters," Blair said.

"The reality is that those firefighters are required now."