FIRE BAN NOW IN PLACE FOR NORTHWEST SASKATCHEWAN FORESTS

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Government Relations have issued further fire restrictions for the province.

Due to extreme fire hazards, consultation between Ministries, including the Ministry of Parks, Culture, and Sport, which recently imposed the restriction on all open fires in provincial parks and recreation sites, has resulted in open fires now also being prohibited in provincial forests on the west side of the commercial forest.

The ban is bounded by the Alberta border on the west, and the Clearwater, and Churchill rivers east to Highway 2; Highway 2 south to the junction with Highway 916; Highway 916 west to the boundary of Prince Albert National Park (PANP); the northern boundary of PANP; the western boundary of PANP, south to provincial forest boundary; the provincial forest boundary west to the Alberta border.

The national park is not included in the provincial fire ban, but it does includes all provincial parks and recreation sites within the ban area, including: Meadow Lake, Makwa Lake, Steele Narrows, Clearwater River provincial parks, and Bronson Forest and Chitek Lake recreation sites.

Fire bans are also currently in place in many municipalities in the province, including the settlements of Bear Creek, Garson Lake, Missinipe and Sled Lake; the resort subdivisons of Keeley Lake, Lac La Plonge, Little Amyot Lake, Michel Point, Napatak, Ramsey Bay, Tower Beach and Wadin Bay; and the subdivisions of Potato Lake, McGibbon Bay (formerly Eagle Point), Nemeiben, Lamp Lake and English Bay.

All burning permits issued to those planning to burn in or within 4.5 kilometres of provincial forests area are now revoked and firework are also prohibited. Without any significant rainfall in the area recently, extremely dry conditions create greater risk for sparking fire. The provincial fire ban will stay in place until conditions improve and the Ministry of Environment rescinds the order.