“We are doing everything to be able to leave quickly”
What there is to know
The residents of Lebel-sur-Quévillon began to return home on Sunday, after more than 2 weeks of evacuation.
Mayor Guy Lafrenière and SOPFEU warned that new evacuations were possible in several regions.
The hot and dry weather could contribute to further “weakening” the situation in the coming week.
“The atmosphere here is special. I have just arrived and I am already preparing my equipment in the event of another evacuation, ”says René Sérandour, who has lived in Lebel-sur-Quévillon since the end of the 1960s.
In more than 50 years, this resident says he is confronted for the first time with evacuations related to forest fires, even if they are a recurring reality during the summer season.
We had already seen very big forest fires, in 1997 in particular, but we had not been evacuated because the wind was common sense and the fire was further away.
René Sérandour, resident of Lebel-sur-Quévillon
He stayed with his daughter, in Val-d’Or, during the evacuation. “Probably if we go back to evacuation again, I’ll go back. There, the temperature is high, we are announcing a heat wave this week, so we are not taking any chances. Everyone here takes the time to pack a second bag, to wash their clothes. In short, we are doing everything to be able to leave quickly, ”explains the resident.
A rising index
As of Saturday evening, the mayor of Lebel-sur-Quévillon, Guy Lafrenière, had warned that the reintegration of residents scheduled for Sunday could be short-lived and that a new evacuation could come. In question: the flammability index which is already very high and which will probably increase in the coming days due to the absence of precipitation and heavy rain until Sunday, June 25.
To date, fire 344, south of Lebel-sur-Quévillon, has affected more than 378,000 hectares. “It is now merged with five other lights,” the mayor said. “It’s a huge fire, it’s really big. We have to be prepared in case things go wrong, ”explained Mayor Lafrenière on Sunday in an interview with The Pressinviting citizens to have their luggage ready, in case of further evacuation.
“For people who have family or a place where they can still be for a few days, we advise them not to come back immediately”, he insisted again, advising his fellow evacuees who are in Senneterre to addressed to elected municipal officials.
Mr. Lafrenière expects about two-thirds of his fellow citizens to come home anyway, at least on a temporary basis. “It’s going very well,” said the mayor at the end of the afternoon on Sunday, when already more than 1,000 people had returned home.
People arrive very quietly, we are really satisfied. Some come to pack their bags and leave, others take equipment for their holidays which they anticipate.
Guy Lafrenière, mayor of Lebel-sur-Quévillon
The Boréale and La Taïga schools also confirmed on Sunday that they will not reopen their doors in Lebel-sur-Quévillon, for security reasons.
“Difficult week” in sight
“We are going to have a difficult week for Abitibi, Nord-du-Québec and the Côte-Nord in particular, where we are not announcing any significant precipitation and fairly significant heat,” explained the associate deputy minister on Sunday. to civil security, Katia Petit, at a press briefing in Quebec.
In general, “it will weaken the situation in the regions already directly or indirectly affected by forest fires”, which also includes Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean. “Citizens must be ready during the week to evacuate, with short notice,” insisted Mme Petit, also advising forestry companies “to have their employee evacuation plans up to date and ready to be deployed”.
Given this increased risk, starting at noon on Monday, the territory where it is forbidden to access the forest will be extended to several regions of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Mauricie, Nord-du-Québec, Saguenay-Lac -Saint-Jean, Côte-Nord and Outaouais.
To date, 112 fires are active, including 92 in the intensive zone. Some 1,400 firefighters are currently fighting the fires, assisted by 19 tanker planes.
“Particularly on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, we expect class 5 and 6 intensity indices in the boreal and coniferous forest of northern Quebec, therefore very high and extreme intensities for the entire territory”, a for his part, advanced the strategic advisor to SOPFEU, Sylvain Tremblay.
“We are looking at which fires are most likely to get out of control again. […] We cannot guarantee that the contained fires will not get out of control again,” concluded Mr. Tremblay.
With Vincent Larin, The Press