Dry conditions at Little Red leads to nervousness and fire ban

Fire department staff have conducted patrols in the park, particularly on weekends when there’s more activity in the park. Everitt said they’ve regularly found campfires and party fires left unattended and still burning. They work with the City’s community services department to address immediate risk, such as significant deadfall.

Everitt said the high risk stems from the age of the forest and there’s a lot of mistletoe, which would provide fuel for a fire. As well, there is the issue of the nearby homes.

“If a fire does get going and develops rapidly, all those properties to the east could be threatened as well as, you know we have Pine Grove Correctional [Centre] and the youth facility. There’s a lot of exposures and a lot of assets and risk in that area, so we’re quite nervous about the park itself.”

Little Red River Park is the only park in the city affected because it is nestled into the Nisbet Forest, which is included in the province’s ban on open fires. To the north, Prince Albert National Park has enacted a similar ban.

The risk in the North

The provincial fire ban will cover local forests such as Nisbet, but also Canwood, Fort a la Corne, Northern, Porcupine and Torch River. It also covers provincial parks and recreation sites including Candle Lake, Great Blue Heron, Lac La Ronge, Meadow Lake, Makwa Lake, Narrow Hills, Athabasca Sand Dunes, Clarence-Steepbank Lakes, Clearwater River, Cumberland House, and Wildcat Hills Provincial Parks, as well as Bronson Forest and Chitek Lake recreation sites.

The province has revoked burn notification numbers, which are issued to those planning to burn open fires in or within 4.5 kilometres of provincial forests. The use of fireworks is also banned.

The extreme dry conditions are the result of the lack of significant rainfall in the region since the spring snow melt.

While the ban is in effect, self-contained heating devices, pressurized stoves or charcoal briquettes used in a ministry-approved firebox will be allowed for cooking or heating purposes.

The fire ban will remain in place until conditions improve and the ministry of environment lifts it.

Fire activity in northwest Saskatchewan

A fire north of Turtle Lake is burning more than 100 hectares and is listed as uncontained. Several fires west of Meadow Lake, in the Loon Lake area, are contained.

As of Friday the city and the rural municipality of North Battleford are once again under an open fire ban. Fire pits are still allowed but residents are urged to use extreme caution when lighting fires.

The town of Maidstone is including fire pits in its fire ban. Only gas barbecues are currently allowed.

-With files from CJNB’s Geoff Smith, CKOM News

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames

by Thia James

Dry conditions at Little Red leads to nervousness and fire ban

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