NEW YORK: The Canadian regional government in the province of Saskatchewan declared a state of emergency on Thursday, the second province to do so, as wildfires continue to rage in its northern regions and drive thousands from their homes, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
“Today, we declared a province-wide state of emergency as wildfires threaten our communities and have already forced thousands of our residents from their homes,“ said Scott Moe, premier of Saskatchewan, on social media platform X.
He added that this allowed authorities to mobilise “the resources necessary to safely evacuate Saskatchewan residents and to protect our communities.”
This can include requesting additional resources from Ottawa, such as personnel, equipment and use of the military, according to Canada’s national broadcaster CBC.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) said as of Thursday night local time, there were 16 active wildfires in the province, with three of them considered contained.
The Canadian province of Manitoba, located east of Saskatchewan, declared its state of emergency on Wednesday as wildfires forced some 17,000 people from their homes.
