‘We need rain desperately’: fire ban issued for Corman Park, other Sask. communities

Saskatoon firefighters are reminding the public to be diligent heading into the weekend. It comes as fire bans have been issued for multiple communities including the RM of Corman Park.

“Two weeks ago we had snow cover, and now if you put a match it would just burn so quickly,” said Judy Harwood, reeve of the RM of Corman Park.

“Living in Saskatchewan we all know what the winds are like, so we got to be careful. It is so dry, we need rain desperately.”

According to a recent report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the entire province is experiencing a drought with some areas considered extreme or severe.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) issued 14 fire bans for communities in the province, a majority are northwest of the Battlefords and in the Wakaw area.

“We want to make sure we don’t have to fight the fires that we shouldn’t have to fight, the ones that are caused by nature are a different story, but I would feel that the SPSA is very ready for this,” said Paul Merriman, Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety.

“There are steps that can be taken to prevent grass fires, whether in the city or in the rural areas, are to make sure your dried grass is mowed short, it will prevent or slow the spread of fire,” said Acting Chief Anthony Tataryn with the Saskatoon Fire Department.

He said it’s also important to properly discard cigarettes, because one spark could quickly cause a serious situation.