As more people build houses on the fringes of wooded areas, the approach to firefighting is getting more complex B次元官网网址� and the out-of-control wildfire near Halifax is one stark example, experts say.

The fast-moving wildfire that broke out Sunday destroyed an estimated 150 homes and forced about 16,000 people from their homes in subdivisions northwest of Halifax.

Roger Collet, wildfire management officer with the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, said such B次元官网网址渋nterfaceB次元官网网址� fires require teams from municipal fire departments to work alongside wildland firefighters.

B次元官网网址淲here the forest meets the urban area B次元官网网址� the subdivisions where people are living in there B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 still quite wooded, so we have to work together,B次元官网网址� he said in an interview.

Robert Gray, a wildland fire ecologist in British Columbia, said whether a fire is in an urban or wildland setting, one of the first things firefighters do is establish a containment zone.

In forested areas, he said, firefighters put down a fire break around the boundaries of the blaze to keep it from spreading further. This is usually done by bulldozing up mineral soil or pouring a combination of water and retardant out of a helicopter, he said.

B次元官网网址淎ll you can do to stop the fires is rob it of energy, of fuel,B次元官网网址� he said.

While in forested land the interior of a fire is often allowed to burn itself out, in an urban setting the main aim is to stop it from spreading to structures, Gray said.

B次元官网网址淵ou donB次元官网网址檛 want whatB次元官网网址檚 called an urban conflagration, which is multiple houses burning at once,B次元官网网址� he said.

Dave Steeves, a forest resources technician with Nova ScotiaB次元官网网址檚 Department of Natural Resources, said firefighters are following a direct and indirect approach to attack the Halifax wildfire.

B次元官网网址淭he direct attack B次元官网网址� is where weB次元官网网址檙e spraying water directly on a fire,B次元官网网址� he told reporters. B次元官网网址淚ndirect attack B次元官网网址� is where we are removing vegetation from an approaching fire.B次元官网网址� The purpose of removing vegetation and creating a perimeter is to starve the fire of fuel, he told reporters this week.

B次元官网网址淚f the intensity levels are low enough, when it burns up to that break, it will have nowhere to go and it will it will snuff itself out.B次元官网网址�

He noted that while traditional firefighting in forests would first involve establishing a containment line, that approach wasnB次元官网网址檛 well-suited to the Halifax fire.

B次元官网网址淭his situation was so different with the amount of structures that were involved, that it was difficult to take a traditional approach to it,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e had to focus on the structures of value first, before we could actually work on the containment.B次元官网网址�

Blazes that experts have said are examples of interface fires include the Fort McMurray and Slave Lake, Alta., infernos where homes were built on the edge of woods. The 2011 Slave Lake fire destroyed more than 400 homes and the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire destroyed more than 2,400.

Gray said one of the most important priorities when confronting an interface fire is to prevent as many structures as possible from burning down, while watching out for the many threats firefighters face in urban areas such as downed power lines, vehicles and all that goes into making everyday life.

B次元官网网址淗omes burn differently than the woods do,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t can be quite hazardous for firefighters.B次元官网网址� The chemicals in the air are different because they involve compounds released from the combustion of manufactured goods, he said.

B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 wear breathing apparatus on wildland fires, although we may have to in the future,B次元官网网址� Gray said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e dealing with very different smoke and smoke constituents. ItB次元官网网址檚 the makeup of the smoke that can be very, very dangerous in an urban setting, especially if thereB次元官网网址檚 high winds, and thereB次元官网网址檚 lots of structures involved at one time.B次元官网网址�

Collet said the hazards are the biggest difference between fighting wildfires on forested land versus in urban areas.

Damaged homes that can fall on firefighters, vehicles that explode, downed power lines and weakened trees are just some of the hazards firefighters have to navigate in urban settings, he said.

B次元官网网址淭he wilderness is a little bit different, because itB次元官网网址檚 mostly just trees,B次元官网网址� Collet said. B次元官网网址淲hat weB次元官网网址檙e doing is we anchor from a safe place, and we start fighting the fire B次元官网网址� working that way. There may be a little more risk when youB次元官网网址檙e trying to save somebodyB次元官网网址檚 house. But again, the training is different. And the structure firefighting is done by fire departments.B次元官网网址�

Training for firefighters in urban areas is different compared with those in forested areas, Gray said, although some rural communities offer cross-training.

B次元官网网址淐ommunities that have both kinds of fires, they do cross-training,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e taught to deal with both structure fire and wildfires. ThereB次元官网网址檚 actually a course for wildland firefighters working in the interface. It deals with things like hazardous materials and electricity and things like that.B次元官网网址�

Hina Alam, The Canadian Press

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