Province preparing for upcoming wildfire season

Even with snow stillon the ground, the Ministryof Environment is preparing for wildfire season.

After a precedent-setting wildfire season in 2015, government spokesperson Karen Hill said the government will be ready to respond to upcoming wildfires as they occur.

"It is difficult to predict what the 2016 wildfire season may bring, as hazards depend on many factors including the timing and speed of the snow melt, temperatures, late winter [and]spring precipitation, and the overall forest fuel conditions," Hill said in an emailed statement.

The wildfire season in Saskatchewan's north runs from April 1 to Oct 31. Hill said with the warm winter and belownormal snowfall, Wildfire Management is getting ready for the possibility of an early start to the season.

• 'Unprecedented' wildfires force out 13,000 Sask. evacuees
• 1,000s of Saskatchewan fire evacuees returning home to La Ronge and area

To prepare for an early start, Hill said the ministry will be bringing aircraftsinto service and recalling wildfire crews two weeks earlier than usual.

More than 13,000 people left their homes due to northern Saskatchewan blazes last summer.

It was deemedthe biggest evacuation effort in the province's history.