The reopening of Highway 103 in Shelburne County moves to Phase 2 tonight, June 8.

Starting at 8 p.m., Highway 103 will reopen to all traffic to travel straight through the section between exits 27 and 30. No stopping will be allowed because there continues to be no access to local roads and properties off this stretch of the highway. Those areas will continue to be restricted until firefighters can confirm they are safe.

“This represents significant progress by all those who have worked so hard to fight these wildfires, and a reason for optimism,” said Public Works Minister Kim Masland. “Unfortunately, this is not the end of the job, and I strongly appeal to everyone to use their best judgement. Continue to respect the evacuation order and if you don’t need to use the highway, please stay away. I want to thank firefighters, heavy equipment operators and provincial department staff for their exceptional efforts to secure Highway 103, making it passable for those who need it.”

The highway will be open 24 hours a day, and motorists will not have an escort in this area as they did in Phase 1.

With conditions constantly changing, the highway may close at any time without notice to ensure public safety.

A mandatory evacuation order remains in place for part of Shelburne County and people under that order should not travel to the area. Several local roads remain closed, and Nova Scotians are encouraged to follow and check 511 for the latest information.

— there is a provincewide ban on open fires; the fine has been increased to $25,000 for breaking the burn ban
— restrictions on travel and activities in the woods in all areas except for Shelburne County and anywhere evacuation orders are in place were lifted effective 12:01 a.m., Monday, June 5
— people should not operate drones over a forest fire; drones can interfere with the suppression effort and pose a danger to aircraft and first responders

Additional Resources:
Highway and road information is available by calling 511, following @511ns on Twitter at https://twitter.com/511ns or visiting the website at https://511.novascotia.ca/

Information on Phase 1 of Highway 103 reopening: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20230607004

Evacuation information for Shelburne County is available at: https://www.facebook.com/shelburneemo and https://www.facebook.com/BarringtonEMO

Changes to restrictions on travel and activities in the woods:
https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20230604005

Burn restrictions: https://novascotia.ca/burnsafe/

News Release – Increased Fine for Breaking Burn Ban: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20230531004

Source: Release