HALIFAX, Nova Scotia: A wildfire on Canada's Atlantic coast has damaged about 200 houses and other structures and prompted the evacuation of 16,000 people, many of whom were eager to return on Tuesday to see whether their homes and pets had survived.

Firefighters worked through the night to extinguish hotspots in the fire that started in the Halifax area on Sunday, Halifax Deputy Fire Chief David Meldrum said. He added that it was too early to give an exact count of homes destroyed, but the municipal government put the toll at about 200 buildings.