The fires ravaging the surroundings of the city of Sept-Îles on the North Shore have not progressed in a worrying way since Friday. No other evacuations have been announced or should be on Saturday, Mayor Steeve Beaupré assured Saturday morning.
Residents of the densely populated Sainte-Famille sector are still on “pre-alert”. On Friday, 10,000 people had to leave their homes as a precaution in the city of 25,000 people.
A total of 200 soldiers from the Canadian Armed Forces will arrive on site to lend a hand on Saturday and Sunday, announced Kateri Champagne Jourdain, minister responsible for the North Shore, during a press conference on Saturday.
Work to fight and contain active fires near Sept-Îles continues. During the night from Friday to Saturday, the temperatures and winds were favorable to the teams of the Society for the Protection of Forests against Fire (SOPFEU).
Twenty firefighters are on site and SOPFEU is preparing the ground to be able to receive more resources, said spokesperson Isabelle Gariépy.
A total of 1,500 people from the Innu community of Uashat mak Mani-utenam also had to leave their homes on Friday, recalled Chief Jean-Claude Therrien-Pinette.
As for the CISSS de la Côte-Nord, 47 people have been evacuated to major centers so far, in particular to Montreal, said Manon Asselin, CEO of the CISSS. Forty others should also be soon.
Residents of CHSLDs would head for Baie-Comeau if an evacuation order affected them, also pointed out Ms.me Asselin.
“We still hope that Mother Nature will be favorable in the coming days,” finished the mayor of the municipality.