(Quebec) With the heat and lack of precipitation expected, Quebec must prepare for a “critical week” in its fight against forest fires. A few days before the national holiday, the government recalls that fireworks are prohibited north of the St. Lawrence.
“It is possible that with the wind, with the drought, with the heat, that these fires which were contained will no longer be so”, launched the Minister of Natural Resources and head of SOPFEU, Maïté Blanchette Vézina, in point of view. press Tuesday.
She recalled in this context “the ban on open fires” for the entire territory of Quebec north of the St. Lawrence River.
With the arrival of the national holiday and Canada Day in the coming weeks, we will ask the population, civil society organizations and municipalities to use extreme caution in organizing the festivities. The last thing anyone would want is for celebrations to make the wildfire situation worse.
Maïté Blanchette Vézina, Minister of Natural Resources
Specific instructions
She pointed out that SOPFEU was currently preparing specific instructions that will be communicated “in the coming days” for the festivities for the affected communities. Urban centers near the river, such as Quebec City, may have relaxations due to lower risk.
But other regions, where the risk of fire will increase to “extreme” due to the expected hot weather, have seen access to the territory prohibited.
Indeed, on Monday, Quebec announced additional restrictions on access to the territory. Prohibition measures mainly target the regions of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Mauricie, Nord-du-Québec, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and Côte-Nord.
For Quebec, this heat wave is coming at a very bad time. With the effort of 1,500 firefighters fighting the flames, several forest fires are now “under control”. But the dry weather, the hot nights and the wind could rekindle the embers of these fires, especially in the areas of Chibougamau and Lac-Saint-Jean.
She is also appealing to Quebecers who are currently in prohibited areas. “It is very important to respect the ban on access to the territory. I am speaking to all Quebecers who are there, the situation can change very quickly, ”she said.