Continuing warm, dry weather has resulted in an increasing number of municipalities declaring fire bans.
Several urban communities, including Dalmeny, Hepburn and Langham implemented fire bans in late June and early July. Many rural municipalities also have fire bans in place, including the RMs of Corman Park, Vanscoy, Dundurn, and Rosthern.
Also in early July, the provincial government implemented fire bans in all provincial parks including Pike Lake Provincial Park and Fort Carlton Provincial Park. Provincial crown-owned land is also included in the ban.
Despite periodic scattered showers, overall moisture levels in the region remain extremely low, increasing the danger of wildfires, particularly when winds increase.
According to the provincial government’s fire ban map, (http://environment.gov.sk.ca/firefiles/MunicipalFireBans.pdf ) as of July 6 a total of 97 RMs across Saskatchewan have active fire bans, while 35 urban municipalities also have fire bans in place.
Daily updates on fire bans are available online at each municipality’s website or facebook page.
The heat wave in late June and early July sparked 25 wildfires in Saskatchewan, most of them in the north, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency. Since the start of the year the province has seen a total of 218 wildfires, 20 more than the five-year average.