Sask. government says as many as 30 incidents under investigation for arson related to wildfires
Sask. Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod says the opposition is playing politics and spreading misinformation when it comes to use of new planes in the firefight
Sask. Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod says the opposition is playing politics and spreading misinformation when it comes to use of new planes in the firefight
Sask. Public Safety Minister on why a new plane was grounded during fire fight
The Government of Saskatchewan says that as many as 30 incidents are being investigated regarding intentional arson related to wildfires in the province this year.
Tim McLeod said that investigations remain ongoing and he expects police to announce more charges.
So far, two arson charges have been laid by RCMP regarding the Ditch02 fire near Weyakwin which forced multiple evacuations.
'I know that there are many others that are being investigated, last I heard in the neighbourhood of 30 individuals are suspected of and being investigated for intentional arson and that is just an absolute shame when you think about the devastation that these fires cause,' McLeod said during an interview with CTV Morning Live Saskatchewan on Wednesday.
While McLeod stated that '30 individuals' are suspected of arson in connection to wildfires in the province, SPSA President Marlo Pritchard clarified that '30 incidents' are under investigation.
'First of all, it's not 30 people. There's 30 incidents that are being investigated as intentional starts or arson investigations,' he explained, during Wednesday's wildfire update.
'There have been charges laid in at least two of those incidents by the RCMP, and I'm not aware of any other charges as of this time.'
According to McLeod, it's the province's full belief that police investigations will lead to full prosecutions for people found to be responsible for intentionally starting wildfires.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) has confirmed that 350 values have been lost in wildfires to date, with the number expected to exceed 500 following more investigations that includes assessing the community of Denare Beach later this week.
Last week the SPSA said that many of the wildfires in Saskatchewan this year were set accidentally by humans, but that they believed at least 30 were intentionally set.
So far in 2025 the province has seen 261 wildfires, well above the five-year average of 157.
Currently there are 17 active wildfires, three are considered not contained.
However, recent rainfall and cooler temperatures have allowed crews to take a more offensive approach to fighting wildfires and fire growth has been minimal for the better part of two weeks.
All but five evacuations have ended in the province. According to the SPSA, Creighton, Denare Beach, East Trout Lake, Whelan Bay and priority individuals in Cumberland House remain evacuated.
A provincial fire ban was also lifted this week as well as a ban on ATV and UTV vehicles.
The province will provide an update regarding the current wildfire situation at 1:30 Wednesday afternoon.
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