(Montreal) The authorities considered early Tuesday that the situation of forest fires remained worrying in northern Quebec, in particular because eleven of these fires were still out of control at the end of the day, the day before.
However, the Society for the Protection of Forests against Fire (SOPFEU) observed that the precipitation received since Sunday, as well as the increase in humidity, had made it possible to stabilize the fires temporarily.
As of Tuesday morning, 79 fires were active in the northern zone, i.e. in the regions north of 51e parallel. SOPFEU reported that these fires totaled more than 2.8 million hectares burned.
SOPFEU added that no community or municipality was directly threatened by the flames. Forest firefighters were busy protecting access roads to these communities so that people could move around and obtain supplies.
Efforts were being made at Radisson to protect the airport, which remained threatened by fire. The access roads to the communities of Wemindji, Waskaganish and Eastmain were also given special attention.
The same was true for the Billy-Diamond road, nearly 620 kilometers long, which connects the municipalities of Matagami and Radisson. This important road access to the James Bay region remained threatened by fire in certain places.
Eleven tanker planes were in operation Monday in the northern zone, including two which were to be based in Radisson. SOPFEU reported, however, that the reduced visibility made aerial operations difficult.
Environment Canada’s weather forecast for Tuesday called for showers and cool temperatures.