With the dry weather and strong winds that have been encasing Saskatchewan lately, the risk of fires throughout the province is getting higher. On Easter weekend, fire crews from Martensville, Warman, Saskatoon, Dalmeny and Langham battled a blaze in Corman Park located approximately 16 kms west of Saskatoon near the intersection of Range Road 3073 and Township Road 380. The smoke from the fire was visible for miles as crews worked together to get it under control.
A wide array of equipment was brought in to help extinguish the fire, as well as a water bomber airplane and three homes were evacuated. In the end one home that was believed to be abandoned suffered extreme damage. The fire was under control by 3am on Sunday, with crews remaining on scene in the following hours to control flare ups.
On Monday, April 22nd, crews from Warman, Martensville, Osler, Langham and Saskatoon were called to two separate fires in rural areas. According to Warman Fire Rescue, “both were caused by human acts, and were preventable. Extreme fire conditions continue today. Don’t even throw a cigarette butt in a ditch.”
As of Monday, April 22nd, a large grass fire near Biggar, SK has forced authorities to issue a state of emergency for area residents due to the thick smoke and the fire growing to nearly 5,000 hectares. Local RCMP officials announced Monday afternoon that the fire was out of control and evacuated the area between Highways 4 and 51 and as of Tuesday morning, a water bomber was being called in to help battle the fire and to protect farm buildings in the area.
There is currently a total fire ban in place within Corman Park due to dry conditions and as of April 23rd, 37 rural municipalities and five villages within the province have issued fire bans. The full list of areas under a fire ban, visit https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/environment-public-health-and-safety/wildfire-in-saskatchewan/fire-bans.
