Visibility on Highway 3 near Holbein was very poor Monday night. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Wildfire season

Wildfire season off to hot start

Apr 23, 2019 | 12:49 PM

As of Tuesday morning, over 40 fire bans were issued across the province in response to hot, dry and windy conditions, and the list is expected to grow.

During a media briefing, Provincial Fire Commissioner Duane Mckay asked people to respect the fire bans.

“We would strongly encourage people not to use fire in any way until conditions change,” he said.

As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, there were five active fires burning in the province. All but one at Big Island Lake have been contained. McKay said if someone sees a grass or brush fire, the first step would be to call 9-1-1.

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“Often people do not understand in these windy conditions and dry conditions how rapidly fire will go. It can go in any direction and it can spread very rapidly,” he said.

One of the biggest fires in the province is in the Biggar area. McKay said the fire is no longer moving toward the town, thanks to a change in wind direction. There have also been a number of fires started in the Red Pheasant and Mosquito First Nation areas. McKay said those fires were the cause of human carelessness.

The south central and western regions of the province remains at the highest risk level for wildfire activity. Dennis Truman, manager of the Provincial Fire Centre in Prince Albert, said the northern region is still in good shape.

“We still have about 20 per cent snow coverage in the bush. It is dissipating day by day as conditions warm up here,” he said.

Truman added the provincial aircraft fleet will be ready Tuesday to assist with any fires. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Highways said there are currently no restrictions on any provincial highways.

As of late Tuesday morning, fire crews were still on scene of a fire south of Prince Albert. The Prince Albert Fire Department was originally called out around 10 p.m. Monday to the corner of Highway 2 and Davis Road. Firefighters contained the flames and there was no property damage. R.M. Administrator Roxanne Roy told paNOW a number of hay bales were on fire.

Local R.M.’s on alert

The Rural Municipality of Shellbrook was one of a number of local R.M.’s in the Prince Albert area to declare fire bans. R.M. Reeve Doug Oleksyn said he could not guess how long the fire ban would be in place.

“We’re looking for it to green up and even, you know, get some timely rains. Most people are pretty good but on a windy day like that, the sparks can carry quite far,” he said.

The R.M.’s of Prince Albert, Buckland, Hoodoo, St. Louis, Leask, Duck Lake, Blaine Lake, Canwood, Spiritwood and Garden River have also issued fire bans, and the same goes for the Towns of Shellbrook, Marcelin, Paddockwood, Kelvington and Blaine Lake.

The City of Prince Albert implemented a fire ban in the Little Red River Park and to all residential property North of the Saskatchewan River. Open fires will be prohibited until further notice. This also applies to fireworks within these areas. Properly maintained fuel gas appliances are still permitted.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell