Province issues provincial park fire ban for most of Saskatchewan

The governmentof Saskatchewan has instituted a fire ban on Crown land, including provincial parks, throughout much of the province.

The ban, which the province said was prompted bydry and windy conditions, extends from the Churchill Riverall the way down to the U.S. border.

Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park is excluded from the ban because fire risks in the area are lower, the province said in a news release.

Self-contained heating devices, pressurized stoves, gas barbecues, propane firepitsor charcoal briquettes used in an approved firebox will be permitted for cooking and heating purposes during the ban.

There were 14wildfires burning throughout the province early Tuesday afternoon, eightof which were under control.

Evacuation order for WaterhenLake, Crutwell

Two of those fires have been the subject of concern for residents, and prompting two evacuations on Tuesday.

An evacuation order was put in place for theWaterhenLake First Nation on Tuesday afternoon. The community has been blanketed with smoke from the Tuff fire, burning in the Meadow Lake Provincial Park, since the weekend.

Thirty people, including seven children, with respiratory concernswere transported from the community to Meadow Lakeon Monday, prior to the evacuation order.

There are two portable air scrubbersbasically large air filtersin use within the community, with two others on standbyin Meadow Lake.

The so-called Rally firenear Holbein andCrutwellprompted an evacuation order for the hamlet ofCrutwellon Monday but theorder was lifted later that day. It was reissuedon Tuesday afternoon.

While the fire ban extends to Crown land only, other rural and urban municipalities, as well as regional and national parks, may follow suit and impose their own fire bans.

Steve Roberts, executive director of wildfire management for the province, said there have been 148 fires on Crown lands so far this year. That's "well above" the five-year average of 86 fires, Roberts said.