A forest fire is underway in the MRC of Côte-de-Gaspé. Firefighters from the Society for the Protection of Forests Against Fire (SOPFEU) have been working since Wednesday afternoon to put it out once and for all. The organization specifies, however, that the fire is already contained.
The fire broke out around 2:30 p.m. in the York River area, southeast of the municipality of Murdochville. It covers a total area of 0.3 hectares.
Two air tankers went to the site to water with an aeropointer. We also had a ground team in place. They managed to contain the fire
confirms Isabelle Gariépy, prevention and communications officer for the SOPFEU.
A contained fire means that it is no longer growing, at least temporarily. He shouldn’t move, but he’s not completely under control
adds the spokesperson.
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The prevention and communications officer for SOPFEU, Isabelle Gariépy
Photo: Radio-Canada / Lambert Gagné-Coulombe
Efforts will still be made during the day Thursday to bring the fire under control. The last work that is done after a fire is brought under control is extinguishing work by our ground teams who will ensure that there is no more smoke remaining, no more heat sources that could reignite [le brasier]
popularizes Ms. Gariépy.
It’s a small area, but there’s still a bit of work to do to make sure it’s properly extinguished.
Several factors could be the cause of this fire, including lightning. Around 10 a.m. Thursday, however, the risk of fire was no longer considered extreme in the Gaspé region. He was rather considered high from Rimouski to Chandler and moderate from Chandler to Matane. There SOPFEU nevertheless calls on the population to exercise caution.
Even if there is no ban […]it is not so [souhaitable ]to make open fires when the indices are this high
, adds Ms. Gariépy. This invites people who still want to light a fire to use a fireplace equipped with a spark arrester.
A ban is not excluded if the current weather conditions persist. It could come
, confirms Isabelle Gariépy. In this case, fireworks could be banned like traditional fireworks, as the festivities surrounding National Day approach.
Information relating to danger indices and prohibitions in force is available on the website of the SOPFEU and on social media.
With information from Bruno Lelièvre
