Forest fires in Mauricie: Clova homes still intact

Do not pass who wants the roadblock of the Sûreté du Québec at the entrance of routes 10 and 25 in La Tuque, since only residents of isolated areas can circulate there. Despite this, some vacationers still tried their luck.

• Read also: Hydro-Québec facilities on the North Shore under close surveillance

• Read also: Forest fires: evacuation notices lifted in Sept-Îles

• Read also: Forest fires: a trench to protect Lac-Simon

“There are some who try, but they will live with the consequences. It’s just that if they are caught in the crossfire, you have to mobilize helicopters to pick them up and sometimes they are not always available, ”explained the mayor of La Tuque, Luc Martel.

In Mauricie, about twenty fires are active, the majority of which are out of control. The most important remains that of Clova where field work continues.

“SOPFEU installed sprinkler systems yesterday. There are many swamps where the fire is made. On one side there is a deciduous forest which has slowed the progress of the fire. This is what probably saved the village,” said the owner of the Auberge and restaurant Clova, Dominic Vincent.

From a distance, hundreds of vacationers watch the progression of the flames very carefully. Many would have liked to lend a hand to the dozen residents who are fighting the fires supported by firefighters from SOPFEU, La Tuque and Parent.

Firebreak and house cistern, the residents of Clova are ready to do anything to save their property.

“I still have considerable resources. Trailers, vehicles, ATVs, pumps, pipes, food, gas, anything. Other worlds are ready to follow me to help them,” listed Joffré Prévost, who owns a cottage in the Clova sector and who also runs a business in the Outaouais.

Some also have a thought for forestry workers who also do not have access to forest roads, another hard blow since the blockade held by the Atikamekw.

“Per week, we have about 20 to 25 trucks making deliveries, so in a normal delivery week, we can lose up to 200-300 trips of wood depending on the sector if it is near the factory or far, ”explained the director general of the Haut Saint-Maurice Forestry Cooperative, Marc-André Despins.

The mayor of La Tuque wishes to ask for government assistance to financially help businesses that have suffered from the fires: outfitters, zecs and those involved in woodworking.