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Saskatchewan firefighters bracing for ‘well above average’ summer wildfire risk

Click to play video: 'Meteorologists predicting dangerous wildfire conditions this year'
Meteorologists predicting dangerous wildfire conditions this year
 
WATCH: With meteorologists predicting dangerous wildfire conditions this year, experts say caution will need to be exercised in an already severe health emergency. – May 10, 2020

“Recent projections from Natural Resources Canada (NRC) are painting a stark picture of wildfire risk on the Prairies this year.

NRC “severity anomaly” forecasts show a prediction of “well above average” wildfire risk throughout nearly all of Saskatchewan in June. The organization then predicts the risk to remain at least “above average” in most of the province throughout the summer.

Natural Resource Canada projections show above-average wildfire risk in Saskatchewan this summer. Global News

The forecasts are made by comparing Environment Canada weather forecasts against 30-year averages.

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NRC Wildland Fire manager Brian Simpson said dry forecasts, a low amount of winter snowfall and climate change all amounted to the risk.

“It’s just a generally warmer climate now. It’s hotter than it used to be, which dries out the forest more.”

A helicopter helps fight a wildfire in Saskatchewan. File / Global News

Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) director of land operations Scott Wasylenchuk says the agency is predicting the same.

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“Both our internal meteorologists and national reports are predicting a drier than normal spring and summer.”

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He says that while wildfire ground and aerial crews are in place and “fire ready”, it’s especially important that the public practice safe fire etiquette this season amid COVID-19.

“Typically in a year, 50 per cent of all wildfires are human-caused. Up until lightning season, they’re almost 100 per cent human-caused. And all human-caused fires are preventable. We want to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on our first responders as much as possible. We really want the public to be safe with fire this year.”

Wasylenchuk says the SPSA has only registered 15 human-caused fires to date this year in Saskatchewan, while the yearly average by this time is 71.

He says to make sure any fire you start, regardless of where, is cool to the touch before abandoning it.

While wildfire season can hit Saskatchewan’s heavily forested and remote northern regions hard, officials say care needs to be taken in the province’s south and urban centres as well.

Saskatchewan Volunteer Firefighters Association president Doug Lapchuk says something as seemingly harmless as ATV exhaust can ignite dry grass.

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“We have lots of exposed vegetative growth, and it is dry,” Lapchuk said. “And prairie fire can move and develop very rapidly, especially up a hill, and through valleys and gullies.”

Lapchuk recommends those who own homes and farm structures in grassland areas create fire breaks to help protect their buildings.

“The short grass will still burn but it won’t burn as violently or as rapidly,” he said. “Yeah, it’s nice to have natural growth, but if you can cause a 50-yard break between natural growth and your structures, you’ll be limiting the fuel load and will be ahead of the game.”

Onlookers watch as the Regina Elks hall burns to the ground on May 3, 2020. Justin Bukoski / Global News

Regina Fire Marshal Randy Ryba, meanwhile, says the leading cause of unintentional blazes in cities everywhere is unintended cooking surfaces.

“We respond to multiple calls of that nature weekly. Attentiveness is key,” he said.

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Ryba added that cigarettes thrown in flower and plant pots can smolder for days before combustion occurs.

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