Sask. wildfire numbers down thanks to soggy weather

Dry conditions kept the mosquitoes at bay this summer but the recent wet weather has created more breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Thursday was some very soggy weather despite it being a dry, hot summer.

About 20 to 40 millimetres of rain fall in Saskatoon. Some areas of the city saw up to 50 millimetres, according to Environment Canada. The underpass at Circle Drive and Idylwyld Drive had to be shut down by police when it became flooded.

“With cooler nights and the treatment program, it’s hard to say whether there is even going to be a spike following these rain events,” Jeff Boone, supervisor of pest management for the City of Saskatoon, said.

“In really, really hot conditions; it will be five to seven days. Cooler conditions, you look at 10 to 15 days.”

Boone said crews are out spraying standing water to kill larvae.

The numbers of mosquitoes that carry West Nile has risen a little but Boone said they are still very low.

Boone suggests residents remove standing water from their property to avoid mosquito breeding grounds.

Wildfires numbers down

It’s no surprise the province has fewer wildfires thanks to the rain.

There are 53 wildfires burning on Friday, which is a far cry from last month when the province was fighting over 100 fires daily. That including trying to keep the flames away from 50 communities.

Brent Krayetski, provincial wildland fire co-ordinator, said while conditions are much better, more rain would be welcome.

“We still have active fire that isn’t extinguished yet but generally, the overall areas are moderate to low level,” he said.

Most of the fires burning are in the La Ronge area.
 
Krayetski said that region has received less moisture than other places and is still seeing flare ups when temperatures rise.
 
There have been 675 fires to date this year. That’s nearly half what the province had last year by this time.

-with files from News Talk Radio’s Brent Bosker and Lasia Kretzel

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