By Jeff Labine

Sask. firefighters heading to Montana

Jul 12, 2017 | 3:26 PM

With no threats of wildfires in Saskatchewan, provincial firefighters will be helping put out blazes in both Canada and across the border.

Steve Roberts, the executive director of the province’s Wildfire Management Branch, told media on Wednesday crews would be providing support to British Columbia and in Montana. Roughly 20 firefighters, a wildfire investigator and specialists plus a liaison officer have already been dispatched to B.C., which is being ravaged by wildfires.

The situation is so dire the province has declared a state of emergency.

Roberts said on Thursday, 20 more firefighters and another liaison officer will head to B.C. along with four wildfire specialists. At the same time, a number of aircraft and personnel will head to Montana.

“Our partners South of us in the states, in the western part of the U.S., have been experiencing high hazards and fire activity right from Arizona through Idaho to Washington and Montana,” he said. “Their resources are becoming stretched and they are turning to their partners North of the border for some assistance. As British Columbia didn’t require our amphibious aircraft, we were more than willing to lend them to our partners across the border.”

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Roberts explained the threat of wildfires in this province is moderate to low with no wildfires burning at the moment. He also mentioned Saskatchewan is below the five-year average.

He said if any more requests for assistances do come in, the province will have to review them as they don’t want to be spread so thin as to leave Saskatchewan vulnerable.

Jeff.labine@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @labinereporter