Click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter

Wildfires

lightning strikes same place 119,000 times
More lightning but less wildfires so far in 2026
If you feel like you're seeing more lightning in the sky this year, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. According to data provided by Environment Canada meteorologist Janelle Gergely, the amount of lightning in Saskatchewan has gone up from 62,000 flashes in June of 2025 to over 77,000 in June of this year. "T...
Jul 22, 2026
Read More
Park Rebounds
Thousands of seedlings planted as Narrow Hills recovery continues
Thousands of tree seedlings have been planted in Narrow Hills Provincial Park as recovery efforts continue following the devastating wildfires that forced the park's closure last year.According to the Saskatchewan government, crews planted more than 81,180 tree seedlings in June and completed a large transplant project...
Jul 16, 2026
Read More
wildfire activity
Saskatchewan reports 46 active wildfires, crews continue containment efforts
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) reported 46 active wildfires across the province as of 11 a.m. Wednesday, with firefighting crews continuing suppression and containment efforts on several significant fires.According to the SPSA, four fires are currently classified as contained, eight are not contained, 26 ...
Jul 15, 2026
Read More
Wildfire fleet adjusted
SPSA grounds three Bird Dog aircraft pending safety review
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency has temporarily suspended three Bird Dog aircraft from wildfire suppression operations while it conducts a comprehensive safety review.The aircraft are the same model as one that recently crashed in the Northwest Territories, killing all three people on board."The safety of ou...
Jul 11, 2026
Read More

Wildfires

Wildfire response
Sask. 2025 wildfire response topped $350M amid severe budgeting flaws: Auditor
The provincial auditor is calling for proper planning and budgeting for wildfires each year, saying the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency has failed to determine optimum resource levels.In her report, auditor Tara Clemett says the wildfire response in 2025 cost more than $350 million, and included 916 out of province w...
Jun 25, 2026
Read More
Wildfire response
Denare Beach residents hoping for better communication after SPSA VP retires
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) has announced that Vice-President of Operations Steve Roberts has moved up his retirement to June 30 of this year. Both parties mutually agreed on the announcement. The news comes after the independent review from MNP stated that there were 'significant gaps' in how the prov...
Jun 22, 2026
Read More
Cost concerns
Melfort raises concerns over new SPSA wildfire deployment compensation model
The City of Melfort is raising concerns about changes to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency's (SPSA) compensation rates and operational requirements for municipal fire departments responding to wildfire emergencies.The issue was discussed at a recent city council meeting, where administration outlined the potential ...
Jun 16, 2026
Read More
"There's more work to do."
Scott Moe says province committed to doing better after report criticized wildfire response
Saskatchewan's premier says the province is committed to doing better after an independent review criticized the government's response to the destructive 2025 wildfire season.The review, conducted by accounting firm MNP, found that the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) "was not fully prepared for a wildfire...
Jun 15, 2026
Read More
wildfire season
Several fires burning near Lac La Ronge Provincial Park
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) continues to respond to several fires burning near La Ronge. There's an ongoing assessment underway for the Highway fire (0.2 hectares) approximately 30 kilometers south of La Ronge. The SPSA noted crews will continue to monitor with infrared scanners over the coming days f...
Jun 15, 2026
Read More
Wildfires
Wadin Bay receives $40,000 for defending community from 2025 Pisew Fire
The northern resort of Wadin Bay is the first Saskatchewan community to receive compensation for fighting a 2025 wildfire from a new government program.Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) FireSmart Grant Program was announced last week by Minister of Community Safety Michael Weger.Wadin Bay will be given $40,000 f...
Jun 15, 2026
Read More
Need for Change
'Everybody's got to be on board': Communities urge preparedness after wildfire review
Communities that found themselves on the front lines of Saskatchewan's devastating 2025 wildfire season said that a new independent review confirms many of the challenges they experienced as wildfires swept across the province.The MNP review, commissioned by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA), found the agenc...
Jun 12, 2026
Read More
Independent review
Review finds Sask. Public Safety Agency 'was not fully prepared' for 2025 wildfire season
An independent review into the Government of Saskatchewan's response to the destructive 2025 wildfire season - the worst in Saskatchewan's history - found the province's public safety agency wasn't adequately prepared.The review, completed by accounting firm MNP, was made public on Friday. The report found "signif...
Jun 12, 2026
Read More
Natural warming cycle
El Nino is here and scientists fear it'll be big, bad and costly with heat, floods, droughts, fires
El Nino, Nature's chaotic climate agent, has formed in a warmed-up Pacific Ocean and is expected to grow to historic strength, meteorologists announced Thursday.Experts said the El Nino, a natural warming cycle, should further heat a globe already warming from fossil fuel pollution and will likely turbocharge extreme w...
Jun 12, 2026
Read More
SPSA operations
Behind the fire lines: Inside Saskatchewan's Lobstick fire base
About 19 kilometres west of Prince Albert, nestled in a field by the Satellite Station, is an entire temporary village built around a crisis. It's the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency's (SPSA) site for the Incident Management Team (IMT) working the Lobstick wildfire near Shellbrook - a blaze that grew bigger than the ...
Jun 8, 2026
Read More
Enough precipitation
City of Prince Albert fire ban ends at noon
A fire ban for all areas north of the North Saskatchewan River, including Little Red River Park, will end at noon today (Thursday, June 4).The ban is being lifted, 10 days after it was imposed, because of recent rainfall.Residents must still follow city burning rules. Violating Bylaw 15 of 2021 could result in a $300 f...
Jun 4, 2026
Read More
Wildfires
Red Earth Cree Nation residents returning home as evacuation order lifted
Residents of the Red Earth Cree Nation are preparing to return home after wildfires in the area prompted an evacuation.The Cree nation northeast of Nipawin was evacuated on May 30 after a wildfire in the area began to threaten travel on Highway 55. Some residents left in their own vehicles, while others boarded charter...
Jun 3, 2026
Read More
Wildfire update
Wildfire costs climb into millions as Saskatchewan lifts fire ban
Saskatchewan's wildfire season has already cost millions of dollars, even as cooler temperatures and recent rainfall have helped ease fire conditions across much of the province.During a wildfire briefing Wednesday, Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) officials estimated firefighting costs for the province's two l...
Jun 3, 2026
Read More
Reduced wildfire threat
Red Earth Cree Nation residents returning home as evacuation order lifted
Residents of the Red Earth Cree Nation are preparing to return home after wildfires in the area prompted an evacuation.The Cree nation northeast of Nipawin was evacuated on May 30 after a wildfire in the area began to threaten travel on Highway 55. Some residents left in their own vehicles, while others boarded charter...
Jun 3, 2026
Read More
Remnants of the wolf fire
Denare Beach rebuilding at remarkable pace: deputy mayor
Denare Beach residents are experiencing a wide range of emotions today as they mark one year since the Wolf fire destroyed nearly half of their community. That's according to Deputy Mayor Karen Thomson, who explained while some residents have been able to begin the rebuilding process, others have not as they continue ...
Jun 2, 2026
Read More
Cooling down
More evacuation notices lifted as wildfire conditions improve
Another evacuation alert that was issued due to the Lobstick fire has been lifted. The alert for the RM of Duck Lake was lifted on Tuesday, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) announced in a Facebook post. The notice was originally issued on May 28 as an evacuation order but was downgraded a day later to an a...
Jun 2, 2026
Read More
Small community, Big heart
Shellbrook pours out support for fire crews and evacuees
As the massive Lobstick wildfire continues to burn nearby, businesses and residents in both the town of Shellbrook and the neighbouring rural municipality (RM) have stepped up to help those in need. About 130 people from the RM are staying with family and friends, while businesses and organizations in Shellbrook have o...
Jun 1, 2026
Read More
Still rebuilding
Many Denare Beach families still not home a year after wildfire
Nearly one year after the Wolf Fire destroyed more than 200 homes and structures around Denare Beach, many families are still waiting to come home.While cleanup has been completed and new houses are beginning to arrive, the recovery has proven far slower than many expected. Insurance delays, contractor shortages and re...
Jun 1, 2026
Read More