Late last summer and into the fall, southwest Saskatchewan saw how quickly fire can spread in dry conditions.

The Saskatchewan government issued a fire ban on Crown land south of the Churchill River this morning, as the threat of wildfire in much of the province is high.

The Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park is exempt, as the threat isn't quite as high in parts of southwest Saskatchewan as in other areas.

As of this morning there have been 148 fires so far this year on Crown land, which is well north of the five-year average of 86.