Work continues fighting forest fires up north, with crews working on those around the clock, including those from the southeast. Estevan Fire Rescue (EFR) has sent four firefighters and one fire engine to a wildfire raging up north near Patuanak, with other southeast communities also sending their members.
In the latest update from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA), they say that the weekend rains, which fell over locales in both the north and the south, actually missed their largest fires and didn't help to suppress those.
As of 5:30 p.m. on Monday, 50 active wildfires are raging in Saskatchewan, with 14 uncontained, 17 undergoing assessment, and firefighters working to protect values in 17. Two fires are considered contained.
Steve Roberts, the vice-president of operations with the SPSA, says they've at least got some decent conditions to keep those fires down with continuing hope for rain.
"We're hoping for a little more in the next 24 hours, but even with that being said, the fires have been a little more sedated, and we've been able to make more progress because they haven't been extremely volatile because of high winds or because of very high heat."
The number of evacuees from the northern area of Saskatchewan has also jumped, from the 1,700 reported last week to 2,800 on Monday. That number may be higher, as La Loche is under a voluntary evacuation notice, and the SPSA is unaware of how many people have self-evacuated from that community.
Fire bans are spread across northern Saskatchewan and stretch into the southwest, with 20 fire bans active in urban municipalities, 33 in rural municipalities, and five in provincial parks.
So far this year, Saskatchewan has seen 384 wildfires. The five-year average is 309.