34 firefighters heading to Saskatchewan to battle wildfires

The Department of Natural Resources is sending 34 firefighters to help contain the forest fires in Saskatchewan.

Marc Belliveau, an official with the department, said 20 will leave from Moncton and 14 from Fredericton on Tuesday afternoon.

In May, the province sent 26 firefighters to Alberta to help with the fires around Cold Lake. Those firefighters were in western Canada for 10 days.

Belliveau said the wet weather in New Brunswick makes it easier to release the firefighters.

Saskatchewan is battling 117 active wildfires in the province as of Monday morning.

Those fires are causing thousands of people from northern Saskatchewan to leave their homes.

The Red Cross estimates as many as 4,500 people could be in temporary shelters across Saskatchewan by the end of Tuesday.