Several wildfires are currently burning in Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Environment says those fires will continue to burn until a weather change offers some relief.
Nineteen wildfires are burning around the province with several of those human caused.
Curtis Lee with the Ministry of Environment says the dry spring has led to the extreme conditions. He says a cold front is in the forecast, but it may bring lightning.
“Whether we get some rain with it we aren’t %100 sure, but we are hoping we will,” said Lee. “But we are gearing up for some lightning fires today over a lot of the province not just in isolated areas.”
Lee says this is not the worse year he has seen, but they will be fighting the fires for the long-haul until the weather brings more rain.
Seven of the wildfires in the province are not contained with one of those fires burning in the northwest near La Loche. Lee says this blaze has an area of over 23 thousand hectares.
“Crews are continuing to work that fire,” said Lee. “We are making some progress, but it is such a large fire that it is certainly not contained yet.”
Other uncontained wildfires are burning near Candle Lake, Turtle Lake and White Fox.
So far, 224 fires have started in the province this year, up by nearly 100 fires from the same time last year.
The Ministry of Environment says while the northern forested region of the province is the most at risk the extreme conditions are moving into the southern grasslands.
The provincial fire ban placed on Friday continues and several northern communities and First Nations have imposed their own fire bans as well.