English wildfire that burned 41K hectares now contained

SASKATOON A wildfire that expanded rapidly over the Victoria Day long weekend has been brought under control.

The English fire, named after nearby historic site the English Cabin, started May 8 east of Prince Albert and grew dramatically over the long weekend, from 5,300 hectares on May 15 to 37,500 on May 19 — an area nearly twice the size of Saskatoon.

The rapid spread fuelled concerns that the flames could rip through nearby farmland or prompt evacuations of nearby communities. Fortunately, cooler, wetter weather over subsequent days helped slow the fire’s spread.

Two teams of additional personnel were dispatched to the fire on May 20 and 21. They joined others, including eight First Nations fire crews from around the eastern part of the province.

As of Tuesday evening, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) listed it as contained at a size of 41,362 hectares.

Last week, the province reported the fire caused only minimal damage outside the forest, affecting a few beehives and some fence lines. Smoke from the blaze also prompted Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for areas around Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

The fire has been determined to have been caused by human activity, but no specific official cause has been released.

A contained wildfire remains active, but is prevented from spreading further.

While the English fire has drawn attention, overall the province has had a lighter than average wildfire season to date. The SPSA reported 52 wildfires so far this year. The five-year average is 149.

The SPSA is still warning of extreme wildfire risk in a broad portion of southeastern and central Saskatchewan, along with a smaller pocket of extreme risk in the west-central part of the province near the Alberta border.