Wildfire threat high in Saskatchewan, fire officials say

The provincial fire commissioner is warning people to be careful as conditions are ripe for wildfires.

On Tuesday, the threat level for the northern part of Saskatchewan was at “high,” while it was “extreme” in the south from North Battleford to Estevan.

“We were hoping that we would see a little bit of precipitation that didn’t occur and we know that people are out on the land now and being quite active. We see this in agriculture and wanting to burn off field residue and so on,” said Duane McKay.

“So we’re urging extreme caution in the southern part of the province if you’re using fire for any purpose whatsoever.”

Saskatchewan currently leads the country in areas under extreme fire conditions.

McKay said there aren’t any fire bans in provincial parks yet. Municipalities are responsible for issuing fire bans as they see fit.

Most fires are caused by human activity, he said, whether it’s from improperly discarded cigarettes, campfires, agricultural burning or ATVing.

“If we start a fire, we are (accountable),” he said. “This is a responsibility that we have to protect ourselves and obviously the environment and our neighbours through the safe use of fire and to reduce the accidental fires on the land.”

As wildfires rage in northern Alberta forcing thousands to evacuate, McKay said there hasn’t been a request for help from Saskatchewan firefighters.

If one were to come in, McKay said the fire commissioner’s office would need to assess its own fire threat and whether it could spare the resources.