The Cree community of Mistissini began its evacuation to Chicoutimi on Friday. For the moment, it is not the village that is threatened, but the road that connects it to Chibougamau, located an hour to the south.
Caution is therefore required to prevent the community of approximately 3,000 residents from becoming isolated. On its Facebook page, the band council indicates that the fire is about 10 kilometers from Route 167 and 28 kilometers from Mistissini.
“On Sunday, we expect the smoke to be very dense. Driving is expected to be difficult due to poor visibility. We have time to carefully evacuate,” they wrote. Thursday, the smoke was already so dense that SOPFEU had to interrupt its operations.
Residents are asked to register at the Neoskweskau sports complex in Mistissini before heading to Chicoutimi. A transportation service is available for those without a vehicle. Elderly or sick people were already evacuated earlier this week. People who are unable to bring their pet with them can entrust them to the La Passion de Rubie shelter in Alma for the duration of the evacuation. A hundred animals can be cared for.
Lebel-sur-Quévillon evacuated again
Pour la deuxième fois en moins d’un mois, les habitants de Lebel-sur-Quévillon, située en Jamésie, ont reçu l’ordre de quitter la ville jeudi après-midi. L’incendie de forêt 256 menace la route 113 Nord, l’un des deux seuls accès routiers vers la municipalité.
Un deuxième incendie de forêt, le feu 314, « devrait aussi traverser la route 113 Nord au cours du week-end », a déclaré le maire Guy Lafrenière en conférence de presse vendredi matin. La situation est toutefois stable pour le feu 344 qui se trouve au sud de la Ville.
Après avoir été évacués une première fois le 2 juin, les résidents de la municipalité ont été autorisés à retourner chez eux dimanche dernier, après plus de deux semaines. La Ville leur avait toutefois demandé de se tenir prêts à évacuer à nouveau. « L’évacuation de [jeudi] went very well,” said the mayor. “We are waiting and hoping with all our hearts for rain next Tuesday. »
Weather that does not cooperate
The weather is really not cooperating. A warm air mass is moving into northern Quebec, particularly in Chibougamau, and should persist until next Friday, according to forecasts from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
High temperatures will exceed 30 degrees Celsius, while nights will also be warm, with lows hovering between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius. Residents are advised to take precautions in the face of this intense heat.
In addition, a special bulletin on air quality was issued by Environment Canada for many regions of Quebec, such as Côte-Nord, Saguenay, Gaspésie and Mauricie. High concentrations of fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke will lead to poor air quality on Friday, and these conditions could persist for days to come.
With Bruno Marcotte, The Press