(Montreal) The citizens of Chibougamau can hope according to their mayor while a change in the direction of the winds and the rain could soon slow the progression of two uncontrollable fires which threaten the municipality.
The city is on high alert due to the threat posed by the 379 and 334 fires.
In a press briefing on Sunday afternoon, the mayor of Chibougamau, Manon Cyr, indicated that “trigger lines” [NDLR : zones limites] had been asked to the Society for the Protection of Forests against Fire (SOPFEU) beyond which, if the fire goes, the municipality would trigger an evacuation.
At the moment, fires 379 and 344 are respectively 13 and 15 km from these boundary zones. “Currently, we are at a good distance from the fire,” said the mayor, announcing that an evacuation would not be necessary immediately.
According to the latter, a change in the direction of the winds on Monday could give a respite to SOPFEU workers who are actively fighting fires on the ground. “We know that the SOPFEU people are doing everything possible, but the smoke is not helping at the moment,” added Manon Cyr.
She also recommends that vulnerable people wear an N-95 mask outside, close windows and turn off air exchangers.
All residents of Chibougamau had to evacuate in the evening of June 6, before being able to start returning home almost a week later, on June 12. The population had been invited to go to Roberval, about a three-hour drive away.
Chibougamau would not be the first city in Quebec to face a second evacuation. In Lebel-sur-Quévillon, in Jamésie, a new complete evacuation took place Thursday evening and was still in effect Sunday morning.
In both cases, the return of the rain is firmly expected. In Chibougamau, precipitation is expected on Monday, while we will have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday in Lebel-sur-Quévillon.
Fire 344 threatening Lebel-sur-Quévillon was stable Sunday morning, said city councilor Denis Lemoyne, in a video posted on the municipality’s Facebook page.
“For fires 256 and 314, which are further north, the fires have progressed a little south. Air support has been requested, and ground crews with machinery are on the ground,” Lemoyne said. He also asked the population to come and lend a hand at the Val-d’Or shelter, where there is currently a lack of volunteers.
Households that are forced to evacuate a second time are entitled to request a new compensation of $1,500 offered by the Government of Quebec.
Air tankers grounded
SOPFEU tankers and helicopters were grounded on Sunday due to the large amount of smoke that reduced their visibility. The Radisson sector, in Nord-du-Québec, was the only one where air operations could be carried out on Sunday morning.
“It’s been a few days that because of the smoke, our air operations are more difficult. That doesn’t mean that we can’t do a few missions every day, but for the moment, our ability to fly is very limited because of the smoke,” explained Stéphane Caron, prevention coordinator and communications to SOPFEU.
The rain forecast for the next few days could help contain some fires and allow teams to resume their aerial work.
Several factors explain the large amount of smoke generated by the current fires.
“The last week we went through was very difficult. It’s been more than a week since there has been any rain, the temperatures are very high, and the relative humidity is low. It generates a lot of activity on the fires,” said Mr. Caron. The large area of the fires also has something to do with it.
Across the province, 81 fires were still active on Sunday morning, in addition to 33 others in the northern zone, according to data provided by SOPFEU on its website.
SOPFEU indicated Sunday to fight 43 priority fires. Of the active fires in the province, 25 are uncontrolled.
The regions of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord, Nord-du-Québec and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean are still those of greatest concern to authorities, according to an update published Sunday morning on the Ministry of Public Security website.
The flammability indices still varied from “very high” to “extreme” in several regions of Quebec on Sunday morning, also indicated Public Security.
In addition to those in Lebel-sur-Quévillon, evacuations are also underway in certain sectors of Senneterre and Val-d’Or, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, as well as Mistissini and the locality of Valcanton, in the Nord-du -Quebec. More than 430 vulnerable people from the community of Obedjiwan, in Mauricie, were also evacuated as a preventive measure.