2023 Nova Scotia Wildfire History
Nova Scotia reported 220 wildfires burning about 25,000 hectares in 2023, the province's worst wildfire season on record. The Barrington Lake fire burned 23,379 hectares and became the largest wildfire in recorded Nova Scotia history, while the Upper Tantallon/Hammonds Plains fire burned 969 hectares. Together, the major fires destroyed more than 200 homes.
Province-reported 2023 total
Province-reported 2023 total
Barrington Lake, Shelburne County
What stands out about 2023
The Province describes 2023 as Nova Scotia's worst wildfire season on record.
Barrington Lake and Upper Tantallon/Hammonds Plains were the defining incidents and together destroyed more than 200 homes.
The cited provincial source is an after-action reporting release, keeping annual totals and incident impacts tied to the official review rather than a FireRadar reconstruction.
Official source
Government of Nova Scotia — 2023 wildfire after-action report release. Official release with 2023 province-wide totals and major-fire impact statistics.
Review source material →What this page does not claim
This is not a reconstructed live map of every moment in 2023, not proof of a fire’s status on a particular day, and not a substitute for agency incident archives. FireRadar’s interactive retained-history product begins with its own observation window and remains clearly separate.
Read FireRadar archive boundaries →