The return of rain, after several days of good weather, allows the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests to end the ban on open fires in and near forests for certain regions.
On Tuesday, the ministry imposed this ban in a dozen regions, affected in whole or in part, in order to prevent forest fires from being started in a context where hot weather caused an “extreme” risk of fire.
However, with the return of the rain, the ban was lifted on Friday at 8 a.m. for the sectors of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Outaouais, Laurentides, Lanaudière and Mauricie which were affected by the advisory initial.
The ban will be maintained for the affected sectors of Nord-du-Québec, Côte-Nord, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Capitale-Nationale, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie and Chaudière -Appalachia.
In the sectors concerned, it will therefore always be prohibited to light an open fire – which is defined as “any fire burning freely or which could spread freely” – in a forest or near a forest, under penalty of a fine that could range from $500 to $50,000.
Campfires, fireworks and the use of instruments that can produce sparks are prohibited. Fires lit in installations provided for this purpose, which are equipped with spark arresters, are still permitted.
According to the Society for the Protection of Forests Against Fire (SOPFEU), a lightning front that occurred on Wednesday afternoon ignited new fires in the Côte-Nord and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean regions.
As of Friday morning, 14 fires were listed in the intensive protection zone. Only one, that of Manicouagan, was considered uncontrollable.