REGINA - The wildfire situation continues to be a concern in Saskatchewan, with conditions still dry in the North and many fire bans still active.
According to the latest numbers from Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency as of Tuesday morning, May 20, there are 14 active fires. Four are contained, four are not contained and six are still undergoing assessment. For the year to date there have been 170 fires, 10 ahead of last year's pace and ahead of the five year average of 112.
Two of the most notable fires reported are the SHOE fire, which is a size of 20,000 hectares at Lower Fishing Lake and is currently not contained:, the 32,000 hectare CAMP fire north of Snowden which is also not contained. Among the resources being deployed to both fires are Type 1 and Type 2 crews, heavy equipment support, air tanker support, and helicopter support, among others.
Already the fires have caused damage at Saskatchewan's provincial parks. Last week's fires at Narrow Hills Provincial Park caused significant damage, impacting both the Gem Lakes and Lost Echo campgrounds. Minister of Parks Culture and Sport Alana Ross told reporters last Wednesday that both are now closed for the rest of the season.
There are plans to open them again for next season, but "we won't know until we can evaluate the full extent of the damage," she said.
As for conditions, while much of the southern portion of the province has seen some welcome rain recently, conditions remain dry for a wide portion of the province. Fire bans are in place in municipalities extending from south of Saskatoon all the way north to the Churchill River.
Premier Scott Moe was asked about the situation at his end of session news conference on Thursday and noted the dry conditions there, based on what he saw when he had gone home to Shellbrook the previous weekend.
"I really wish we were getting the rain that we are seeing in Regina in the North," said Moe. "I don't think we are. It's tinder dry in the North. I was home last weekend and it's terrible dry."
Moe noted they have called in some additional resources from other parts of the country and said they were appreciative of that. He also noted the fire challenges seen recently in Manitoba.
Moe also noted virtually all the fires are started by people, and not intentionally. He asked people to be "very very careful" in what they were doing. As for how the province was addressing the situation in terms of more resources, Moe pointed to the province committing to purchasing four additional aircraft to fight fires and they were taking delivery of one of those shortly.
"But ultimately what we need is a little bit of a weather change in the North. We need rain, we need it quickly," said Moe.
