By TERRY PUGH
Windy, dry conditions prompted over a dozen rural municipalites (RMs) across Saskatchewan, including the RMs of Laird and Duck Lake, to implement fire bans on Tuesday, May 26.
On Monday, May 25, the day before the RM of Duck Lake implemented its fire ban, a wildfire known as the Lobstick Fire began burning in the Nisbet Forest between Duck Lake and MacDowall.
According to a report posted on the PA Now news website, fire crews from Duck lake, MacDowall and Wahpeton were battling the blaze.
RMs that implemented fire bans on May 26 include: RM 404 (Laird), RM 463 (Duck lake), RM 435 (Redberry), RM 461 (Prince Albert), RM 493 (Shellbrook), RM 491 (Buckland), RM 490 Garden River, RM 521 (Lakeland), RM 158 Edenwold), RM 320 (Oakdale), RM 561 (Loon Lake) and RM 63 (Moose Mountain).
The Village of Vonda implemented a fire ban on Wednesday, May 27.
Fire bans implemented in several RMs earlier in May remain in effect. These include RM 588 (Meadow Lake), RM 40 (Bengough) and RM 472 (Wilton).
A map of current fire bans is available online at https://gis.saskatchewan.ca/portal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=f0a6d16a99944a788be8a633870a4590