Showers in the eastern part of the province have helped firefighters fight fires in this area in the last few days and the Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel, hopes that Mother Nature will give the same kind of helping hand in the western Quebec, as the fires continue to threaten communities, particularly that of Lebel-sur-Quévillon.
As of Tuesday morning, there were 112 active wildfires in the province, four less than 24 hours earlier.
“There are 36 of these fires that are currently being fought by our SOPFEU teams and 751,000 hectares of forest have burned on Quebec territory,” said Minister François Bonnardel, at a press conference in Montreal.
About 7,200 people were still evacuated from their homes due to the fires. Of this number, about 4,000 come from Chibougamau and “they should be able to return to their homes today,” said François Bonnardel.
Citizens of Beaucanton and Val-Paradis will also be able to return to their residence on Tuesday.
For the thousands of others, the minister indicated that he is hopeful to be able to announce “good news” to them in the coming days, but that it is too early to confirm that this will be the case.
“I would like to tell everyone […] that all of this will be over within 48 hours, but I can’t do it. There are too many imponderables,” said François Bonnardel.
Among these imponderables, there are winds, rain and lightning.
Showers are expected in areas of western Quebec where large fires continue to rage, which could help fight the fires, but lightning, which could start other fires, forces authorities to remain on the who lives.
During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Environment Canada meteorologist Steven Flisfeder indicated that “it is really a small amount of rain that is forecast for the areas most affected by the forest fires in Quebec” , specifying that it should fall “5 to 10 millimeters at most”.
The “most important concern” remains the fire at the gates of the community of Lebel-sur-Quévillon.
“We still have a fire intensity which is still quite significant on the south side of Lebel-sur-Quévillon, a dozen kilometers away,” said the minister.
“But we should have three or four days of respite in these sectors, thanks to the temperature and the showers that we expect […] and with increasing relative humidity. »
François Bonnardel pointed out that in the east of the province, “the Sept-Îles fire complex is considered contained” and that in the center, “there are still interventions on the southern tip” of the Chibougamau fire.
He added that “the northeast winds will give us a hand today for a fire that continues to stagnate about fifteen kilometers further north of Chibougamau”.
The minister said there are currently 1,150 firefighters fighting fires in the province.
A contingent of American firefighters arrived in Quebec on Tuesday and another should join the fight by Wednesday. With the Spanish and Portuguese firefighters who are on the way, “we will have a strike force of 1,500 fighters,” explained the minister.
Air quality
The Minister made a point of stressing that “certain plumes of fine particles” could cause “some concerns” about air quality in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and in the Cree communities of James Bay.
Also, “we could have a problem in the next 72 hours for the south, so for Montreal. There too we could have a slight plume of particles or air that is a little more yellowish, but with a lower concentration than what we have experienced in the last few days. »
As of Wednesday, people evacuated due to the fires will be able to go to the quebec.ca/aide-sinistre website to claim compensation of $1,500 per principal residence.