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Fire departments from Regina Beach, Lumsden and Bethune were fighting a large fire in a rural area near the landfill in Regina Beach on Sunday afternoon.
Lumsden RCMP said in a news release around 3:15 p.m. that their officers were also on scene and motorists should avoid the area south and southwest of Highway 54, and there were some local road closures.
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Police also said that smoke in the area may affect visibility for drivers.
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Next to no snowfall from December to February in the Prairies has impacted the moisture levels of the soil, and also increased the fire risk.
After the 2023 wildfire season broke records for its intensity in Canada, and resulted in Canada’s first-ever evacuation of an entire capital city — Yellowknife, federal officials are once again warning Canadians to prepare for another record-breaking fire year.
“The temperature trends are very concerning. With the heat and dryness across the country we can expect that the wildfire season will start sooner and end later and potentially be more explosive,” said Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan, at an April 10 technical briefing.
Early spring forecasts predict an above normal fire risk for the Prairies in May.
Plans for developing early notification systems for air quality and preparation measures were referenced by Sajjan, and a training fund with a commitment to train 1,000 new firefighters, as well as an equipment fund have been launched by the federal government.
Additional funds of up to $285 million over five years will be used to help communities better handle wildfires.
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