The fire at Barrington Lake in Shelburne is slowly coming under control, and efforts are beginning to shift from emergency response to rebuilding a community.

Shelburne County East Emergency Management Office reported Tuesday that the fire is still out of control but is now being held,  which means it is not moving.

Several measures have been announced to help residents transition back into their homes or to help those whose homes were lost in the fire. The federal and provincial governments have announced they will each match every dollar donated to the Red Cross so that any dollar donated equals three dollars.

The Province of Nova Scotia is providing free well-water testing kits for people returning home and has just announced a one-time grant of $2,500 to registered farmers located in the mandatory evacuation zones in Halifax Regional Municipality and Shelburne County

Life is returning to normal for some students as several schools in the Shelburne and Barrington area are set to reopen Thursday. Clark’s Harbour Elementary, Evelyn Richardson Memorial School, and the Lockeport Schools will open while Barrington Municipal High School, Forest Ridge Academy, Hillcrest Academy and Shelburne Regional High School will remain closed at least for the rest of this week.

The Shelburne County fire covers 23,411 hectares or 234 square kilometres. Roughly 130 firefighters from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR) and more than 40 volunteer and municipal firefighters are responding.

Restrictions on travel and activities in the woods were lifted across Nova Scotia but remain in Shelburne County and anywhere evacuation orders are in place.

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