Situation Critical

   That picture from NASA gives some indication of just how bad the forest fire situation is in western Canada, more specifically Saskatchewan.
   As of this entry, 13 thousand people have been evacuated from their homes from many communities, including La Ronge, where more than 25 hundred people live. The fire line crept to within 2 miles of the town. While many have found temporary lodging in places like Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina, 5 thousand are being housed in Cold Lake, Alberta.
   As you can clearly see in the satellite image above, huge plumes of smoke are streaming southeast from the fires. And that's why there's been a special air quality statement in effect for the best part of 2 weeks across many parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It's no wonder why I've found it hard to breathe recently, especially last week when the smoke was so thick even in Yorkton it almost blotted out the sun. I simply can't imagine what it's like for the few people still living in the affected areas, let alone firefighters.
   And there was some disturbing news as well. It seems 6 of several new fires reported over the weekend were deliberately set near one small community.
   What's badly needed now is rain. Ideally, a good soaking rain lasting for at least 2 days. But the forecast doesn't seem to hold out much hope for that, with sunshine and highs in the mid to upper 20's.
   How much longer will this continue? Until weather patterns change, it cools down and the area gets a good drenching.
   Meantime, the critical situation continues.

TTFN