Fire crews were battling about a dozen grass or brush fires around the Nova Scotia Tuesday.

Most of those types of fires are started illegally, said Rob Uttaro, supervisor of fire management with the provincial Department of Natural Resources.

"These people got to be made aware that this is an illegal action that's costing a lot of time, energy and money. While the volunteers are out fighting grass fires and woods fires, there are homes [that] are not being protected."

People should be aware they need a burning permit during the fire season, Uttaro said.

Earlier Tuesday, part of Bissett Road in the Cole Harbour area was closed for several hours because brush fires were burning nearby.

"The woods are dry," said Bryson Wilson of the Halifax fire and emergency service. "We haven't had a very wet winter with a lot of snow in the woods."

Wilson urged residents to stay out of the woods and be careful if they have to go in.

For the past couple of days, fire crews around Nova Scotia have been busy putting out several blazes.