Although vigilance is at its maximum in most of Quebec regarding the risk of forest fires, their number remains below the average of the last ten years at the same date.
There is one fire in progress in the west of the province and four others in the northern zone, including one classified “out of control”. The latter has already burned more than 1000 hectares and is believed to have been caused by lightning.
To date, no less than 137 fires have broken out in intensive protection zones in Quebec. This figure amounts to an average of 219 for the same period over the last ten years.
Faced with the heat wave currently hitting the province and to prevent the number of fires from igniting, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests has banned open fires in forests and near certain areas since Tuesday morning. locations.
This ban was put in place in conjunction with the Society for the Protection of Forests Against Fire (SOPFEU). The latter recalls that on average, 80% of forest fires are caused by human activity.
Our objective is to avoid new fires in intensive protection zones to ensure our operational capacity in the coming days and weeks. We are dependent on the weather, but also on the behavior of the population.
Philippe Bergeron, prevention and communications officer at SOPFEU
Among fires caused by human activity, cigarette butts represent a large majority (80 fires per year), followed by poorly extinguished campfires (60 fires per year) and fireworks (three fires per year). .
Mr. Bergeron also invites all-terrain vehicle (ATV) hikers not to park their vehicle against brush. Each year, the contact of the hot parts of mountain bikes with vegetation is the cause of around ten fires.
He adds that it is important to check with your municipality if regulations exist, even if you are not in the area concerned by an open fire ban.
“We are asking the population to be extremely careful in the coming days to get through this period which will be drier,” adds Philippe Bergeron.
Weather conditions conducive to fires
The dry, hot weather and significant sunshine over the last few days are the ideal ingredients for fire outbreaks.
Although showers are expected in a good portion of Quebec, significant dry conditions are expected to persist in the north and east of the province.
“It is certain that the weather conditions are currently tending to dry out nature, which contributes a lot [aux départs de feu], explains the meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada, Simon Legault. The month of June will be close to or even above normal. »
According to him, the current weather conditions are, however, different from those of last year, which unleashed flames throughout the country. For good reason, significant precipitation fell last May compared to the long period of drought which hit Quebec at the same time last year.