Forest fires | Quebec “facing an unprecedented situation”

The number of forest fires in the province has increased slightly again, to 156. Only a minority of them – the most threatening – are however fought by firefighters. Overview of active fires across the province and the country.

A lack of staff

All resources in the province are focused on 35 fires. “These fires that we have taken charge of have been defined to protect our critical infrastructures, such as Hydro-Québec, and to protect our population and their property,” said the Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel, on Sunday.

More than a hundred others are not fought by firefighters due to lack of manpower. “They are considered out of control, so they can continue to progress. In the West [du Québec], with the conditions drying out and where there is no rain forecast, it can be worrying, ”said Stéphane Caron, senior officer of the Society for the Protection of Forests against Fire (SOPFEU). These fires are mainly in forest environments, where there is no community, he said.

“We are facing a situation that has never been seen. Fires of such intensity, but all over our territory,” said the Minister of Natural Resources and Forests and responsible for the Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine regions. , Maïté Blanchette Vézina, at a press conference on Sunday morning.

Reinforcements are coming

Reinforcements have been dispatched to Quebec. Even France is participating in these efforts.

Indeed, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, posted a message on Twitter on Sunday in support of Canadians affected by forest fires. He also announced that a hundred firefighters would be deployed in Quebec.

“Canada is facing terrible fires. France is united. A hundred of our firefighters are preparing to fight the flames alongside their Quebec comrades. Experts are also mobilized. Canadian friends, reinforcements are coming,” he wrote.

More than 200 Canadian Armed Forces soldiers were also dispatched to Quebec, mainly on the North Shore. The Sûreté du Québec has dispatched 200 personnel to this region and to Abitibi; 200 additional auxiliary firefighters will be trained in the coming days.

State of emergency in Lebel-sur-Quévillon

In Lebel-sur-Quévillon, in the Nord-du-Québec region, the municipal council met in an extraordinary session on Sunday morning to declare a state of emergency.

The 2,000 citizens who were ordered to flee their homes on Friday could therefore not return home on Sunday, even if, there too, the progression of the fires was “fairly calm” in the night from Saturday to Sunday.

“The fire has not moved all night,” confirmed Mayor Guy Lafrenière during a press briefing.

The authorities are also continuing to monitor fires near the Nordic Kraft pulp mill, which houses chemical tanks. Over the weekend, however, the flames never got as close as they did last Friday.

Smoke worries in Abitibi

In Val-d’Or, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, the situation has changed little and the areas of Louvicourt, Lake Wyeth, Lake Gueguen, Lake Matchi-Manitou and Lake Villebon remain evacuated.

The entire Abitibi region was also urged to be cautious due to the poor air quality caused by the fires.

Even if the recommendation to confine themselves indoors ended Sunday morning, the CISSS de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue invited the population to “show great caution, at least until Monday”.

For its part, the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable has asked the population to remain vigilant because of the possible presence of large animals on the road network, particularly in the burned areas.

Elsewhere in Canada

It is in La Belle Province that the situation is most worrying, but other provinces are also experiencing large-scale fires.

On Saturday, Alberta lifted the state of emergency that had been put in place on May 6, but thousands of people are still being evacuated from their homes. Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said the situation remains serious.

In British Columbia, a fire north of Fort St. John ravages more than 1,700 square kilometers of forest. However, it is the lack of rain expected in the coming weeks that worries the authorities.

Matt MacDonald, the province’s chief fire forecaster, said 2 to 3 millimeters of rain will be needed for 10 to 20 days in a row to reduce wildfire risk.

“I can almost guarantee that won’t happen,” he blurted out.

In Nova Scotia, authorities said Sunday that the wildfire that tore through the Halifax area was 100% contained.