The number of fires in the provinces has jumped considerably since yesterday. As of 5 a.m. this morning there are 69 wildfires burning and 19 are not contained, up from a dozen yesterday.  There have been 420 fires so far this year, fairly on par with last year when there were 428 but in excess of the five-year average which is 340.

Ten communities are under active evacuation including Canoe Lake/Canoe Narrows, Île-à-la-Crosse, La Plonge Indian Reserve, Resort Subdivision of Lac La Plonge, Cole Bay, Jans Bay, Beauval, Pinehouse, Patuanak, English River First Nation, Little Amyot Lake, and Ramsey Bay.

Parks Canada is reporting that fire activity with the Buhl fire has been increasingly challenging this week due to smoke and the warm, dry and windy conditions.

According to Parks Canada the Buhl Fire, first identified on June 29, has now been determined to have been caused by a lightning strike. Currently, it has burned 12,529 hectares within Prince Albert National Park, more than 73,000 hectares on provincial Crown land and almost 86,000 hectares in total.  There are 221 personnel not including additional support staff from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency fighting the fire as well as 12 helicopters, an infrared scanning drone and 11 pieces of heavy equipment.

Muskeg fire north of La Plonge is more than 288,000 hectares in size, the Ditch fire near Weyakwin is almost 193,000 hectares in size and at 207,000 hectares the Pisew fire continues to burn west of La Ronge.

The Shoe fire is the largest in the province at more than 554,000 hectares in size and has forced the closure of Narrow Hills Provincial Park.  The Trail fire west of Beauval has forced the evacuation of three of ten communities with residents displaced from their homes and is 32,307 hectares as of Thursday. The Park fire north of La Loche is the last fire of note according to the SPSA at almost 27,000 hectares in size and is also not contained.