Premier Scott Moe announced Thursday afternoon that Saskatchewan has declared a provincial wildfire state of emergency.
As of Thursday morning, there were 17 active wildfires, eight of which were not contained, and 15 communities and over 4,000 residents in northern Saskatchewan have been evacuated.
The declaration by Premier Scott Moe came one day after his Manitoba counterpart Wab Kinew did the same.
“It's a very serious situation that we're faced with,” Moe told a news conference in Prince Albert.
“We do need some rainfall. We need that sooner rather than later, and in light of that not being in the forecast, we most certainly are putting in place every measure possible to prepare the province.”
The state of emergency gives the province and the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) additional powers that may be required to address the wildfire situation. This could include access to more resources and federal assistance. Moe said he has not asked the federal government for assistance but may do so in the days ahead.
The state of emergency will remain in effect for 30 days and can be extended if necessary.
The SPSA says it will provide daily updates on the wildfire situation to keep residents informed.
Currently, the largest wildfire is known as the Shoe fire. It is not contained and has burned more than 216,000 hectares of forest.
- With files from Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press