14 Atlantic Red Cross volunteers help evacuees in fire-ravaged Saskatchewan

More Canadian Red Cross volunteers from the Atlantic provinces have been deployed to Saskatchewan to assist the growing number of residents forced from their homes by wildfires.

An estimated 110 forest fires are now burning, affecting more than 13,000 people in 54 northern communities.

The Red Cross is helping more than 7,100 of them who need a place to stay, with shelters and support operations set up in Prince Albert, Saskatoon, North Battleford, Regina, and nearby Cold Lake, Alta.

The Atlantic contingent of volunteers has increased to 14 in the past week, including six from New Brunswick, two from Nova Scotia, two from P.E.I., and four from Newfoundland and Labrador, along with a staff member.

"These volunteers include some of our most experienced team leaders and several have deployed to other parts of the country before to help manage our response to major disasters like the 2013 Alberta flood," Rhonda Kenney, the deputy director general for the Atlantic region, said in a statement.

They are staffing the emergency shelters, providing cots and blankets, food and beverages, as well as hygiene items and other necessities, said Kenney. They are also working with other agencies, providing additional support where needed, she said.

Volunteers typically deploy for up to 21 days and donate their time, in some cases using personal vacation days or leaves of absence from their jobs, said Kenney.

The fires could burn until the first snowfall, according to researchers.