Saskatchewan wildfires send 2,000 fleeing

REGINA, Saskatchewan, July 3 (UPI) -- More than 2,000 Canadians in northern Saskatchewan have been forced from their homes by 64 wildfires burning in frustratingly ideal conditions, officials said.

The majority of the evacuees were bused to temporary shelters in Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina, which is an eight-hour trip, CTV News said.

Hot and dry conditions with little prospect of rain for days was hampering more than 450 firefighters, Steve Roberts, executive director of fire management and forest protection for the province, told CTV.

He said more than 30 helicopters and 17 fixed-wing air tankers were doing aerial dousing of the fires, four of which were threatening communities.

"The next two days will be extremely difficult for us with high temperatures and very low humidity and little chance of precipitation," Roberts said.

Crews from the Northwest Territories, Manitoba and Ontario are helping, and four tankers and firefighters from Quebec were on their way to help the province, the report said.