Threatened on all sides by historic forest fires, the village of Clova in Haute-Mauricie remains intact for the most part.
“Unfortunately, we will have to let Clova burn,” Prime Minister François Legault predicted on Monday. The village finally held firm, among other things, because of the solidarity of its 35 inhabitants.
“It is no longer an issue for the village”, confirms Meggie Richard, contacted on the spot by THE Duty.
Fire trenches were deployed to curb the blaze. This technique seems effective so far, limiting the damage as much as possible. “We just wish that does not pass the firewall, we still have strong winds,” she said. “If it jumps the fire barrier, it goes directly to Lac des Neiges where there are about forty chalets. »
“To date, it’s all correct. But that changes very quickly. The winds make all the difference,” confirms local elected official Éric Chagnon.
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The intensity of the fire exceeded the capacity of the air tankers. No residences have yet been destroyed. Some cabins may have burned down.
SOPFEU is trying to protect Clova through ground work and helicopter spraying.— SOPFEU (@SOPFEU) June 5, 2023
A few chalets were still burned in the area. It is impossible to go there to estimate the damage.
“On Chemin Lépine, there are chalets destroyed, but we don’t have access, so we can’t measure the damage,” explains Daniel Lantier, from the nearby Tessier lake outfitter.
Solidarity
His colleagues work “from morning until evening” to support the SOFEU firefighters. They fill large water tanks and go on site to put out the beginnings of fires.
Others in the area would love to be able to join the effort, but land routes have been blocked by authorities.
Joffré Prévost, who owns a chalet in Clova, says he has a few dozen colleagues ready to come up with “equipment” to help residents. “Without playing firefighter, we can watch the fires, bring pumps, gasoline, moral support, food. We want to help them! »
SOPFEU does not allow the public to lend a hand without adequate training. “Your commitment to our mission is precious. However, we would like to inform you that, for practical and work safety reasons, we unfortunately cannot accept unsolicited offers of help from the public,” the organization wrote on its social media.