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Rain eases wildfire situation

May 29, 2018 | 2:00 PM

A few days of better-than-expected rainfall has come as music to the ears of firefighters and local municipalities, including Prince Albert.

With recent precipitation and more expected to fall this week, the fire ban covering areas of the City of Prince Albert north of the North Saskatchewan River has been lifted. This includes Little Red River Park and the Hazeldell and Nordale residential areas.

Meanwhile, the ‘Rally’ wildfire west of Prince Albert now requires fewer than ten personnel to keep it under control.

“They’re looking for any hotspots that need to be extinguished, but it’s basically a scan for hotspots and it’s well contained right now,” Wildfire Management Spokesperson Henry Dagenais told paNOW.

The ‘Rally’ wildfire reached around 2,500 hectares at its peak, when flames fanned by high winds prompted two temporary evacuations of Crutwell.

The other significant wildfire in the area, the ‘Tuff’ fire in Meadow Lake Provincial Park, is now considered stable, according to Dagenais.

“It’s still active and at 6,500 hectares,” he said. “Crew and heavy equipment are involved, but the control lines continue to hold.”

For the first time since the last snowfall of winter, the seven-day weather forecast has more rainy days than not. Precipitation and cloudy conditions are predicted until the weekend.

 

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow