Firefighters from the Society for the Protection of Forests Against Fire (SOPFEU) continued their fight against fires on Saturday, particularly in western and northern Quebec, where the flames threaten the municipalities of Normétal, Lebel-sur-Quévillon and Chibougamau.
If SOPFEU considers that the fires should not “gain a lot of ground” by the end of the day on Saturday, “the situation will remain complicated by Monday”, warned the Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel, indicating that it will be necessary to “hold on” for the next 48 hours.
“I think we have to keep in mind that the forest fire season continues,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Gerald Cheng during a late morning press briefing. Earlier in the day, Minister Bonnardel acknowledged that this “fight will last all summer”.
For the next couple of days, a “high weather index” is expected to raise the flammability index and temperatures, while decreasing humidity. A “cocktail that could increase further or bring new fires to the territory,” added Mr. Bonnardel, who will travel to La Sarre, in Abitibi-Ouest, to meet elected officials and SOPFEU teams.
Expected rain…
Environment and Climate Change Canada, however, predicts rain (10 to 20 mm) as of Sunday evening in southern Quebec, along the St. Lawrence River, which would improve air quality in the region. Precipitation should then head north, reaching the still out of control fires that are creating these clouds of smoke.
But “it’s not a lot of rain,” warned Gerald Cheng. Will it be enough to put out the fires? It is up to SOPFEU to determine this, replies Environment Canada.
Joined by The duty, SOPFEU spokeswoman Karine Pelletier struggles to make predictions on this subject. “It’s hard to say,” she replies on the phone. It’s still in several days, anything can happen by then. But “good precipitation, especially in the western fires […]for sure sure sure that it would give a serious boost”.
… but also thunderstorms
The showers are however accompanied by the risk of thunderstorms and lightning on Saturday and Sunday, which could start new fires. “There is always this possibility that lightning will start new fires, that’s the reality,” Cheng said.
“It’s in the expectations of the day maybe even tomorrow […] to have a few lightning fires,” added Ms. Pelletier. The risks are all the greater in areas “where there has not been any rain yet, then everything is very, very dry”.
“A first in the history of Quebec”
As these lines were written, there were 415 active fires across the country, including 121 in Quebec. Faced with the threat of the flames, 13,810 Quebecers were evacuated. They shouldn’t be able to return home right away, at least not until Tuesday.
“It’s a first in the history of Quebec to fight so many fires, to evacuate so many people,” said Minister Bonnardel, who believes that this “fight will last all summer.”
With 1,118 forest firefighters on the ground, including reinforcements from the Canadian army and abroad, SOPFEU is focusing on 37 priority fires. A hundred American firefighters should lend a hand as of June 13.
US President Joe Biden promised Thursday to send firefighters to Canada, particularly to Quebec, to fight the fires. New York City has been particularly affected by the smoke from the wildfires north of the border.
On Saturday, a special air quality bulletin was still in effect in Chibougamau and Matagami. Abitibi-Témiscamingue is subject to a smog warning.
Although the smoke is descending towards Montreal and the Outaouais, “it is not at the level of concentration that we saw earlier this week”. At this time, Environment Canada also does not expect the smoke to descend south of the border at concentrations as high as those of the past few days. “But the fires continue to burn. »