51 Communities Evacuated amid Raging Wildfires in W. Canada

15,000 Residents ordered to evacuate their homes in Saskatchewan

At least 112 wildfires are burning through the northern region of Saskatchewan, forcing about 17,000 residents in 51 communities to evacuate.

“Saskatchewan’s Buffalo Narrows and La Ronge regions are the hottest wildfire spots at the moment, but there are also 10 uncontained blazes tearing through the province’s Prince Albert region, further to the south” said a report.

Fire Stats
Communities under full or partial evacuation orders: 51
Total number of residents evacuated or under evacuation orders: 17,000
Number of active wildfires (July 6, 2015) : 112
Number of active wildfires greater than 100 hectares: 56  (July 5, 2015)
Wildfires to date: 574 (compared with total of 184 to date in 2014, and seasonal total of 193 blazes)

Western Canada Disaster Watch

• Wildfires are also raging  in the rest of Western Canada, with B.C. and Alberta experiencing similar hot and dry conditions, said CTV News.
• Port Hardy, B.C. declared a state of emergency on Saturday as a wildfire forced the evacuation of 100 homes. The fire is one of 64 that are active across the province.
• There were also more than 120 wildfires burning across Alberta, with hundreds of northern residents put on evacuation alert.
• About 1,000 military personnel have been sent to help contain wildfires in Saskatchewan and assist evacuees relocation.