Fire ban to remain in place after rain fails to quench fires in northern Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan’s fire ban will remain in place, as recent rain wasn’t enough to douse the many fires still raging in northern parts of the province.

According to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, there are currently 85 fires burning around the province, with a total of 464 blazes reported so far this season. That’s well ahead of the five-year average of 369, but slightly below the 469 fires seen by this point in 2024.

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“Although there were periods of rainfall in the north this past weekend, the heavier rainfall was located in the south,” the public safety agency explained in a statement.

“Large fuels such as logs, stumps and tree trunks remain prevalent in the north with the recent rainfall having only a minor impact.”

The fire ban – which covers the area north of the provincial forest boundary stretching up to the Churchill River – will remain in place, though the agency said it will monitor local conditions. The ban prohibits any open fires, controlled burns and fireworks, and includes provincial parks, provincial recreation sites and the Northern Saskatchewan Administrative District.

In an update issued on Monday, the agency said nine communities remain under evacuation orders: Lac La Plonge, the La Plonge Reserve, Jans Bay, Patuanak, English River First Nation, Pinehouse, Canoe Lake Cree First Nation, Canoe Narrows and Little Amyot Lake. Priority individuals from Beauval and Île-à-la-Crosse are also displaced, the agency added.

According to figures released last week by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, the 2025 wildfire season is the second worst on record for the nation, with fires burning through a total area of 72,00 square kilometres, an area about the same size as New Brunswick.

–with files from The Canadian Press