(Montreal) Quebecers who live north of the St. Lawrence could be inconvenienced by poor air quality, a consequence of the forest fires that are still raging.
Environment Canada issued a special air quality bulletin early Thursday on the entire northern part of the province, stating that due to forest fires, “high concentrations of fine particulates are causing poor air”, for the next few days.
A smog warning is also in effect in the Ville-Marie sector, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and in Northeastern Ontario.
In Jamésie, where several fires are still raging, the smoke is perceptible in the air. On the SOPFEU Facebook page, spokesperson Audrey Marcoux explains that this phenomenon, called temperature inversion, occurs when the air temperature increases with altitude, which prevents a mass of fresh air below to join the atmosphere.
“The air above the smoke cloud creates a smoke blockage at ground level. As long as the temperature inversion is present, the behavior of our fires will be relatively calm. It’s a bit as if they were deprived of oxygen, ”wrote the spokesperson, adding that the phenomenon could repeat itself in the coming days.
Hot, dry weather will continue for a few more days, conditions conducive to starting new fires and advancing others.
Thursday morning, 80 fires were still active in the intensive zone and 24 others in the northern zone, reported SOPFEU, which will draw up an inventory around 11 a.m.
New evacuations in Lebel-sur-Quévillon
In Lebel-sur-Quévillon, where the situation has been critical for three weeks, citizens have been asked to evacuate the municipality again and bring their pets with them, if necessary.
Some had been able to return to their homes from last Sunday – a return that was only short-lived.
“The smoke conditions are intense, will remain so until Sunday and could worsen,” the mayor said on Wednesday.
A refreshment area has been set up at the Maison des jeunes for citizens who are inconvenienced by the smoke. The place will be open between noon and 6 p.m.
According to Météomédia data, around 15 millimeters of rain are expected in the municipality on Monday, and around twenty more on Tuesday. The chance of rain for these two days is 80%.
The PQ’s turn to demand an aid program
Like the Bloc Québécois, which on Wednesday called for the establishment of an assistance program for the forest industry, the members of the Parti Québécois also want Quebec to loosen the purse strings to support workers and businesses. affected by the fires.
The PQ demands are essentially the same as those of the federal party, namely the reimbursement of insurance deductibles for damaged machinery and a loan guarantee for the replacement of equipment.
“Everyone has been crossing their fingers for several weeks for the fires to finally stop. We were taken by surprise this year and this will have major consequences for the development of our forest, hence the need for the government to compensate for part of the losses incurred by several SMEs so far, “said in a press release. the MP for Matane-Matapédia, Pascal Bérubé.
“We already know that for those whose machinery has burned down, tens of thousands of dollars in insurance deductibles will have to be paid and this jeopardizes their ability to return to the forest. I think the government should help them by covering the franchise. »
In the afternoon, Federal Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson and his colleague Bill Blair, Minister of Emergency Preparedness, will hold a press conference with David L. Cohen, Ambassador of the United States to Canada, to provide an update. on the fire situation.