Above-average wildfire activity in Saskatchewan forecasted for remainder of season

The ECCC has forecasted an above average fire season for the remainder of 2024, with additional warnings for southern regions of the prairies. (Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada)

While not as dire as in other provinces, those in Saskatchewan should expect above average wildfire activity for the remainder of the year.

Officials from several federal agencies as well as ministers were in attendance to provide an updated forecast for the 2024 wildfire and hurricane season on Monday.

“This forecast anticipates above normal fire activity could extend well into September, especially across the southern portions of western Canada,” explained Julienne Morrisette, director of Wildland Fire Research with Natural Resources Canada.

“While annual burned areas fluctuate year to year depending on the fire conditions, overall, we are seeing a general increase in annual burned area over time.”

According to Morrisette, the past 10 years have exceeded Canada’s 25 year national average of 2.3 million hectares burned. The national total currently sits at 4.2 million as of Aug. 14.

“As fire seasons grow more severe, it remains crucial for us to focus on strengthening resilience through things like wildland fire prevention and mitigation to help us better manage these broader and growing challenges and reduce overall wildland fire risk,” she added.

• Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts sent to your device

The update followed an announcement by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), which reported its Rapid Extreme Weather Event Attribution system has confirmed that human influence has made heat waves two to 10 times more likely.

According to the federal government, more than 700 international firefighters have travelled to Canada to assist in containing blazes across the country. Six hundred of those have been sent to Alberta.

Sask. fire season

As of Aug. 15, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) reports 79 active wildfires.

Seven of those are not contained, eight are contained, 44 are ongoing assessment, while protecting property is the priority for the remaining 20. The current figure marks a decline from the province’s yearly high of 105 active fires in July.

A total of 480 wildfires have been recorded so far in 2024 – significantly higher than the five year average of 329.

Fires threatening essential infrastructure and communities have been infrequent but have occurred, according to Public Safety Canada.

“We did have one wildfire that was in the proximity [to] SaskPower’s Island Falls Hydroelectric Power Station, but that was responded to very robustly, and mitigation measures were also put in place,” Director General Deryck Trehearne explained.

On Tuesday, an evacuation order was ordered for the remote community of Sandy Bay First Nation due to an uncontained wildfire near Flanagan Lake.

The fire is estimated to be approximately 130 square kilometres in size and has moved to within 20 kilometres of the community.

“Saskatchewan remains at, I believe, a level three in terms of the national preparedness level, which is pretty moderate compared to some of the other activity we're seeing in the other Western provinces,” Trehearne added.

While Saskatchewan was subject to the same drought conditions as the rest of western Canada – lightning storms haven’t been as common in the province as they have been in Alberta and B.C., according to ECCC.

A total of 525,862 hectares have been burned so far this year in Saskatchewan. The province finished 2023 with a loss of 629,456 hectares.

Saskatchewan’s southwest continues to be listed as under “extreme” fire risk due to dry conditions.

More information on fire bans and firefighting efforts can be found here.

On Wednesday, the Governments of Saskatchewan and Canada announced a joint investment of $47.7 million over five years that will go towards purchasing firefighting equipment including radios, sprinklers, hoses and pumps – in addition to hiring and training personnel.