Bocabec And Chamcook Forest Fire Deemed "Under Control"

A forest fire in Bocabec and Chamcook that started more than a week ago is now being deemed as contained and "under control" by the Department of Natural Resources thanks, in part, to excessive rain that began on Friday and has continued off and on this past week.

"Originally, the anticipated battle was expected to last weeks on this forest fire, but due to the great work of our local fire departments, department of Natural Resources and, of course, Mother Nature, it's obviously in a lot better spot right now," said Mayor of Saint Andrews Brad Henderson while paying a visit to the Saint Andrews Fire Department. "However, it's still not deemed out. So people need to continue to be active and know their surroundings and be ready should the worst ever happen where something sparks up. There's situations where we have a forest fire. The fire itself can go deep rooted into the tree system, so although it looks like it's out, in fact, it still could be burning underneath the trees, so we need to be cognizant of that."

The wildfire originally started in Chamcook on May 28 when an ATV caught fire in the woods near Stein Lake.  It burned approximately 540 hectares, destroyed one home and forced the evacuation of a few hundred people from the area. Although the Red Cross was on site in Saint Andrews to assist residents of the fire zone with places to stay, food and support, by May 30th, evacuated residents were able to return home but were asked to remain on alert for signs of hot spots becoming increasingly threatening.