(Montreal) A small forest fire was brought under control on Sunday in Oka National Park, west of Montreal, representing an early start to the forest fire season.
A spokesperson for the Quebec Forest Fire Prevention Society, known as SOPFEU, said the fire that broke out Saturday in Oka Park was likely caused by a cigarette butt thrown by earth.
Stéphane Caron said the 2.1 hectare fire was contained by local fire services.
SOPFEU firefighters arrived on Sunday morning to help control the remaining areas.
Mr. Caron said the forest fire season normally begins in mid-April in Quebec, but it started a little earlier than usual this year, due to a less snowy winter.
He explained that the forest floor in spring is covered with dead leaves and branches, which can catch fire very quickly, especially from a cigarette spark.
“It should be remembered that every year in Quebec, 80 forest fires are caused by cigarette butts thrown on the ground,” he added.
If the fire season is longer, it is too early to know if it will be more serious than usual, indicated Stéphane Caron.
“The early disappearance of the snow means the season will start earlier and there will be more fires in the spring, but the season as a whole will depend on whether it rains in April,” he said. mentioned. It is too early to make predictions. »
The head of the Oka Fire Prevention Department, Sylvain Johnson, said the fire broke out around 7 p.m. on Saturday, near the summit of a mountainous sector of the park called the Calvaire d’Oka.
He said in an interview that firefighters had to use all-terrain vehicles to reach the blaze, which was extinguished around 1 a.m. with the help of firefighters from the neighboring municipalities of Pointe-Calumet and Saint-Joseph-du. -Lake.
Quebec experienced a record forest fire season in 2023, during which 4.5 million hectares of forest burned.
This area, which included 1.1 million hectares of inhabited areas, was greater than the sum of the last 20 years combined, SOPFEU said last fall.
The fire in Oka National Park is the fourth forest fire this season, according to SOPFEU.