Residents of Sept-Îles, on the North Shore, are being asked to stay indoors while a major fire located about fifteen kilometers to the north is raging. Forest fires in the region have triggered “protection mechanisms” on the Hydro-Quebec network, which plunged 250,000 customers into darkness Thursday afternoon.
Around 5 p.m., the number of homes without electricity had decreased to just over 150,000, mainly in Montreal and Montérégie.
Meanwhile, on the North Shore, residents are on high alert.
“Close the windows and the air exchanger; avoid any intense physical activity outside”, also warns the government, Thursday afternoon, inviting people who are victims of persistent discomfort to contact 8-1-1.
The fire in question, active since Tuesday, is located north of Lake Daigle and is still considered “out of control” by the Society for the Protection of Forests against Fire. Its area is now estimated at 534 hectares.
Approximately 120 residents located on the unorganized territory of the MRC des Sept-Rivières were called upon to evacuate their vacation homes.
“The wood is dry, dry, dry”
In Sept-Îles, the local authorities have set up an emergency measures coordination center which should decide in the next few hours whether additional measures will have to be taken. “We will have to make decisions based on the safety of citizens,” explains the mayor of Sept-Îles, Steeve Beaupré.
“There is the weather factor which is not working in our favour. We were told of rain, we didn’t have any. Hot days and dry weather. With the spruce budworm (a destructive caterpillar), the wood is dry, dry, dry, so it’s like striking a match in a haystack,” explains the mayor.
The latter also testifies to the effects of smoke on residents. “Last night I was playing deck hockey outside, and this morning we all had sore throats,” he says.
A second blaze is also active in the area at this time. The latter is located about fifty kilometers northeast of Sept-Îles and is much larger. It covered an estimated area of 17,828 hectares on Thursday. However, it is not currently controlled since it is in the northern zone.
250,000 Hydro-Québec customers affected
However, interventions are carried out to protect the railway serving Shefferville, the Moisie River outfitter, as well as a Hydro-Québec telecommunications tower, specifies SOPFEU.
“In addition to the regular patrols carried out by fire behavior analysts from SOPFEU, helicopter spraying continues to be carried out by the mining company IOC. The installation of removable water tanks and sprinklers has also been made to protect the targeted infrastructure,” we explain.
These blazes also had unexpected consequences for residents as far away as Montreal.
Hydro-Quebec announced at the end of the afternoon that 250,000 of its customers were out of power since two of its transmission lines were rendered unavailable by the forest fires on the North Shore.
“The smoke and heat triggered protective mechanisms on the network. The resumption of power is taking place gradually, ”said the state-owned company on Twitter, specifying that its facilities were not damaged.
Quebec urges people to avoid forests
These latest developments come as Quebec asks the population to avoid or restrict travel in the forest as much as possible because of the “extreme flammability index”, when the province is going through a first heat wave.
This recommendation concerns all of Quebec and aims to “reduce the risk of fire, facilitate the operations of the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU) and ensure public safety”.
Remember that it is currently prohibited to make open fires in or near the forest throughout Quebec.
“Since May 28, the province has been facing a situation conducive to forest fires with high and dry temperatures as well as low precipitation throughout the territory,” write the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests (MRNF) and the Ministry of Public Security (MSP), in a joint press release.
Hope for Chapais
Thursday morning, the forest fire which forced the evacuation of half of the village of Chapais, in Nord-du-Québec, or about 500 people, was still out of control, indicates SOPFEU.
“Teams are still on the ground, because there is work that can be done even if the fire is considered out of control,” said a spokesperson for the organization, Josée Poitras. “We are preparing battle plans for the next few days. »
While the fire approached 4 km from the village of Chapais on Wednesday evening, a change in the direction of the wind now gives authorities hope that the village will be spared. “The fire could probably be heading, slightly, in a direction other than the town of Chapais, and that’s what we hope,” explains Josée Poitras.
“Last night there was a lot of smoke in the city because of the wind, but this morning it had dissipated a lot,” said the mayor of the municipality, Isabelle Lessard.
The City of Chapais announced Thursday morning that the two schools (primary and secondary) in the municipality will remain closed on Thursday. “To citizens who have been evacuated: you will be informed of a possible return home at the appropriate time”, it also specifies.
“It’s not given yet. As long as the fire is not brought under control, it can change sides, and we may have to evacuate people again, so all that remains uncertain, ”says Isabelle Lessard.
A shelter has been opened in the sports complex of the neighboring town, Chibougamau, to accommodate the evacuees.
The Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel, affirms for his part that the situation is “under control”, but that the forest fire in Chapais remains “worrying”. “This morning, things are getting a little more normal, but we’re on the lookout. We are hoping for a little rain,” he added at a press briefing at the National Assembly.
With Fanny Lévesque, The Press