Officials with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency are providing an update on wildfires in the province on Saturday afternoon, as 33 Saskatchewan communities have been evacuated, forcing thousands of people from their homes.
CBC is livestreaming the 1:30 p.m. CST news conference here.
An advisory sent by the public safety agency on Saturday morning indicated Premier Scott Moe would also speak at the conference, but he was not part of the livestreamed conference.
As of Saturday morning, there were 24 active fires in the province, with only three of them contained, according to the public safety agency. There have been 251 wildfires in Saskatchewan so far this year, well above the five-year average of 141 for this date.
A news release from the safety agency Saturday said financial assistance will be increased for wildfire evacuees, raising the daily amount provided to the head of each household to $40 per day, from $20. Additional members of a household will now get $20 per day, up from $10, the agency said, to a new daily maximum for evacuees of $200 per day.
The province has declared a state of emergency, which remains in effect until at least June 29.
Up-to-date info on active fires, smoke and related topics is available at these sources:
