$100M spent on Saskatchewan wildfires, bills still coming in

Saskatchewan has spent $100 million dealing with forest fires in the north this year and the bills are still coming in, Premier Brad Wall said Friday.

The province was scrambling for several weeks as tinder-dry conditions and lightning strikes in the north sparked an unprecedented number offires for much of June and early July.

Some of the fires came dangerously close to many communities. In some places homes were destroyed by advancing flames. Over 100 structures, mostly cabins, were lost due to fires.

At the height of the crisis over 13,000 people were moved from 50 northern communities to emergency shelters in southern cities. Several thousand more also left the north and found places to stay on their own.

Military forces joined local fire crews to battle the fires. At one point officials estimated over 1,500 people were on the fire lines.

Wall praised Prime Minister Stephen Harper for responding quickly to the need for additional resources to fight the fires.

"That was a Saturday [when I called the prime minister]," Wall said. "[On] Wednesday morning there were boots on the ground, Canadian Forces fire fighters."

Wall repeated an earlier call for a national strategy to support provinces dealing with unusual fire events.

Federal aid sought

"We'll be applying for federal support for the costs of the fire," Wall said. "Right now we think we're upwards of $100 million."

Wall also renewed his appeal to the prime minister todevelop a national stockpile of fire fighting equipment for provinces to share inemergency situations.

"When the dust settles, that is definitely something we are going to reviewwhat we can do to better anticipate, better respond, better mitigate these kinds of incidents," Harper said during a stop in Regina Friday afternoon.

Harper and Wall were in La Ronge earlier in the day to meet people involved in the fire fighting effort.

While no more communities were facing threats and evacuation orders had been lifted allowing almost everyone to return to their homes (except for those who may have health issues with smoke), Wall said costs were continuing to mount as some 80 fires were still burning.