With much of Saskatchewan, including the Prince Albert area, under an extreme fire risk, fire bans have been put in place by a handful of fire departments.

The City of Prince Albert announced a fire ban for Little Red River Park and all residential property north of the river late Wednesday. Open fires and fireworks are prohibited, but properly maintained gas appliances are still permitted.

Cooking and recreational use of approved fire pits (such as those in Kinsmen Park) located south of the river are not affected by the ban. The ban will remain in effect as long as high-risk conditions remain.

The Rural Municipality of Buckland also announced a fire ban Wednesday. The ban suspends all building permits and bans open fires and the use of fireworks within the R.M. until further notice.

The Nipawin fire department instituted a ban yesterday. The total fire ban affects Nipawin, the RMs of Nipawin and Torch River, several small villages including Codette and Smeaton, and the Town of Choiceland.

According to the August 30 fire danger forecast from the province, the entire southern half of the province is under extreme risk, extending north of Waskesiu and into the northern part of the province. Isolated patches of the north are also under an extreme risk, including the Pelican Narrows area. The far north is under a moderate risk, with the rest of the province facing a high risk of fire. Hot, dry weather is expected to continue for at least another week.