Fires are progressing in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec | Wildfires 2023

The Forest Fire Protection Society is not expecting rain until Monday or Tuesday in the western part of the province.

She states in her update that the meteorological conditions cause a very significant drying of the vegetation and have significant impacts on the activity of the existing fires, which regain vigor and progress significantly in some cases.

She specifies that the amount of smoke makes tanker operations particularly difficult. This has been the case over the past few days.

Evacuation notices maintained at Normétal, La Reine and Saint-Lambert

Dense smoke from the fires will continue to veil the skies of Abitibi-Témiscamingue and affect air operations.

In Abitibi-Ouest, evacuation notices are still in effect for Normétal, La Reine and Saint-Lambert-de-Desmeloizes. Keep your luggage near the door recalls the director general of the municipality Lyne Blanchet in a publication on social networks.

These fires also undermine air quality. The Abitibi-Témiscamingue Integrated Health and Social Services Center has warned of deterioration for the next twenty-four hours in the region.

Fire 281 remains out of control and therefore still progressing. There SOPFEU confirmed that special efforts are being invested in this sector.

The fire is mainly active in the northwest sector, near the Ontario border. Due to the direction of the winds, it will spread towards the northeast and the Val-Paradis sector.mentioned the SOPFEU in its most recent report on Saturday.

Elsewhere, the dreaded merger on the western flank is materializing. The COC007 fire near Cochrane, Ontario, came even closer to the Quebec border. Depending on the direction of the observed and forecast winds, this fire should cross the border during the day and could threaten Saint-Lambertmentions the SOPFEU.

The map of the Canadian Forest Fire Information System shows the proximity of the two blazes.

Ongoing field efforts

The efforts of the teams on the ground continue. Moreover, the fire fighters took over from those who had completed an intervention cycle.

SOPFEU has returned with its original team and there will be support. More than fifteen forest firefighters will be added, so about thirty on the ground, in addition to mechanical operations. The Canadian Armed Forces are also there and have worked to dig a trench in Val-Paradis. And on the Ontario side, there are 4 tankers from Quebec to spray the sector, to protect the western sector of Saint-Lambert in Quebecassures Mr. Lagrange.

In the last few days, Canadian soldiers created trenches in Val-Paradis to limit the progression of the fire. The direction of the winds nevertheless forced the evacuation of residents of Beaucancon, Val-Paradis and Lac Pajegasque.

Burning and close watch in Lebel-sur-Quévillon

In Nord-du-Québec, in Lebel-sur-Quévillon, the operations of fire fighters continue. The firefighters of the SOPFEU carried out preventive burning from the south, before the fire engulfed them.

Burning work has been carried out in the South by SOPFEU for 2 days. The fire will go there and it is a considerable advantage to secure the section of road 113 Southsaid Mayor Guy Lafrenière.

By setting fire to some of the forest fuel, the teams hope that the fire will not gain strength when it migrates south.

As for the Nordik Kraft factory in Chantiers Chibougamau, where important highly flammable chemicals are located, everything seems secure.

The spokesperson for Chantiers Chibougamau, Frédéric Verreault, specified that systemic watering has been carried out since June 15.

The trenches dug in early June, when the 344 lightning fire escalated to a monster fire, proved their worth. By maintaining watering on the site, the company is making sure to prevent complications that could be caused by embers escaping from the blaze.

Close monitoring of the plant facilities continues. Frédéric Verreault adds that the intervention plan can be consolidated at any time if the situation changes.

The closure of Route 113, between kilometers 70 and 150 is maintained until further notice.

Mayor Guy Lafrenière as the spokesperson for Chantiers clings to the hope of weather forecasts which announce rain for Tuesday and Wednesday and that these precipitations are free of lightning.

Threats to Senneterre

The Lebel-sur-Quévillon fire is approaching certain sectors of Senneterre. Assessments tend to show that it is about 20 km from the Charles campground sector and the Lac Parent fire is 10 km east of this same sector.

The Mayor of Senneterre, Nathalie-Ann Pelchat insists on the fact that these are only summary evaluations.

These are predictions. Currently, we do not know where the fires are located very precisely because there was no visibility this morning for the Sopfeu teams who are evaluating the distances.she mentions.

Field efforts are nevertheless underway so that the specter of an evacuation is still postponed for the moment.

The municipality of Senneterre recommends that its citizens download the Senneterre alert application, in order to be informed if an evacuation should be decreed.

For all of Quebec, the resources that fight fires are made up of 1,341 forest firefighters, auxiliary and military fighters and 160 regular SOPFEU employees, which represents a total of 1,501 people.