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 helpthe thousands of Nova Scotians fleeing wildfires "in any ways we can."

An estimated 16,400people have been affected by evacuation orders as arapidly spreading fire burnsin the Halifax area, covering about 788 hectares.

Hundreds of residents ofa southwestern community also have had to flee as a separate wildfire burns out control inShelburne 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 Guni Jhannesson Ottawa on Monday.

The prime minister said he plans to speak toNova 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-areafire was first reported Sunday afternoon and continues to pose a risk Monday. The wind is blowing from the north, causingthe fire to blowback 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 coverthe communities of Hammonds Plains, Upper Tantallon and Pockwock, about25 kilometres from Halifax. They'rehome to many commuters who work in the city

Fire officials said Monday that whileno 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 Renewablessaid the Shelburne County forest firehas grown to6,270 hectares.

Some structures have been destroyed and others are threatened butthere are no firmnumbers yet, it said.

Minister concerned about firefightingresources

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

A blazein 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 intensewildfire season at one point, nearly 100 fires were burning more than one million hectares of land in the province anddisplacing close to 30,000 people.While some people have been allowed to return home, officials in Albertawarn the threatis 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 firewill remainextreme 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."