Sask. residents advised to limit outdoor activity as wildfire smoke, heat persist

Residents in Saskatoon, Prince Albert and other parts of Saskatchewan are being advised to limit outdoor activity after waking up Monday to continued thick smoke and heat.

"We should avoid strenuous outdoor activities," said Brian Proctor, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

"The children and the elderly are the most susceptible to these kind of smoke events, or people with compromised respiratory systems. So really it's important to self-calibrate to a degree. Know what your capabilities are and how well you deal with smoke."

On Monday morning, the ECCC air quality health index sat at 10+ — the worst possible rating — for Saskatoon, Prince Albert and other regions of northern Saskatchewan. Regina's rating was forecast at a nine for Monday — still considered "high risk."

Most of the province was also expected to see temperatures of at least 30 C Monday.

According to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) website, there are 105 active forest fires burning in the province and only seven are considered contained.

There have been 407 fires so far this year, far exceeding the five-year average of 274, according to the SPSA.

Proctor said the Saskatchewan fires are causing some of the decreased air quality, but it's mainly due to the fires in northern Alberta and elsewhere drifting eastward.

He said the smoke will remain for the next few days, but may start to ease as early as Tuesday. Temperatures should cool somewhat later this week as well, he said.

"Definitely, smoke covers much of the province at this point and is likely getting to be a ongoing forecast issue for the next few days," Proctor said.