Cape Breton fire officials say wildfire is no longer growing

Fire officials in Cape Breton say a wildfire burning in the Sydney area of Kytes Hill and Grand Lake remains active but is no longer growing.

Officials say the fire got to about two kilometres from some homes. The fire was held by ground crews with air support from a DNR helicopter.

"It was out of control at first ... definitely makes for some tough times, but calm heads prevail," said Josh Kruger, a forestry technician with the DNR, said Sunday. 

"Thankfully, the weather has been on our side today, it's giving us a great help, and we're looking forward to the rain tomorrow to give us a better handle on it."

The fire broke out underneath some transmission lines, said Kruger, among thick forests that were affected by a post-tropical storm in 2023. He said crews were called to the scene around 2 p.m. on Saturday.

He said the fire doesn't appear to have grown since Saturday evening. It is now 2.1 hectares in size.

Matthew Lever, an emergency management consultant with the Cape Breton Municipality, said no residents were evacuated from their homes.

Lever said that off-road vehicles were being used to help crews get close to the fire, which is located near a four-wheeler trail. 

He said there were about 25 firefighters on the scene from four different departments in the CBRM. 

Christina Lamey, a spokesperson for Cape Breton Regional Municipality, said electricity in the area was turned off to more than 3,000 customers to support firefighting efforts but it has since been restored

Rain is in the forecast for Sunday evening and is expected to continue until Monday, said the municipality.