(Montreal) More than 141 forest fires, three more than the day before, are now active in Quebec. To avoid aggravating the situation, new bans on access to forests came into force on Sunday in several regions of the province.
“We are facing a situation that has never been seen. Fires of such intensity, but all over our territory,” said the Minister of Natural Resources and Forests and Minister responsible for the Bas-Saint-Laurent region and the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-France region. -Madeleine, Maïté Blanchette Vézina, at a press conference on Sunday morning.
All of the province’s resources are currently focused on putting out 35 fires. “These fires that we have taken charge of have been defined to protect our critical infrastructures, such as Hydro-Québec, and to protect our population and their property,” indicated the Minister of Public Security and Minister responsible for the Estrie region. , Francois Bonnardel.
More than a hundred others, however, are not fought by the firefighters, due to the lack of manpower. “They are considered out of control, so they can continue to progress. In the West [du Québec], with the drying conditions and where there is no rain forecast, it can be worrying,” said Stéphane Caron, SOPFEU senior officer. These fires are mainly located in forest environments, where there is no community, he said.
Reinforcements are coming
A total of 100 soldiers are now on the ground to ensure logistics in Sept-Îles and a hundred more will arrive on Sunday and will be trained during the day to fight the fires. On Friday, Minister Bonnardel asked Ottawa to send Canadian Armed Forces personnel to fight the blazes on the North Shore.
For its part, the Sûreté du Québec has distributed 200 personnel on the North Shore and in Abitibi, while 200 additional auxiliary firefighters will be trained in the coming days.
On the North Shore, 4,500 people remain evacuated and 5,500 others are still in Abitibi. However, the majority population of Chapais was able to return to their homes.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests on Sunday extended the territories covered by the ban on driving in the forest. “It’s to avoid aggravating the situation,” said Minister Blanchette Vézina. We are now talking about Nord-du-Québec, Côte-Nord, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Mauricie, Outaouais, Laurentides and Lanaudière.
PHOTO FROM THE SOPFEU WEBSITE
Map of the sectors covered by the ban on driving in the forest.
“We are appealing to all Quebecers not to go into the forests in other regions of Quebec. We want to contain the fires that we have at the moment and not start others, ”said Mme Blanchette Vezina.
Touzel Bridge
On the lower North Shore side, 6,500 people have been isolated for almost a week due to the closure of the Touzel bridge linking Minganie to the rest of Quebec. A crack discovered during an inspection had forced the closure of the bridge.
In the next few hours, the Canadian Armed Forces will come to lend a hand to distribute food. “Now is not the time to empty the grocery stores. There will be plenty of water and perishable and other foodstuffs to supply the entire population,” warned Minister Bonnardel.
In addition, a pipe will be installed on the Touzel bridge, in order to supply gasoline to the tanker trucks. The authorities had urged the population on Thursday to limit their consumption of goods and fuel to essential needs.
State of emergency in Lebel-sur-Quévillon
In Lebel-sur-Quévillon, in the Nord-du-Québec region, the municipal council met in an extraordinary session on Sunday morning to declare a state of emergency.
The 2,000 citizens who were ordered to flee their homes on Friday cannot therefore return home on Sunday, even if, there too, the progression of the fires was “fairly calm” in the night from Saturday to Sunday.
“The fire has not moved all night,” confirmed Mayor Guy Lafrenière during a press briefing.
Several fires near the small town are still considered “uncontrolled” on Sunday. The thick smoke from the flames also prevented planes from flying in the area at the start of the day, but this problem was resolved in a few hours.
Smoke worries in Abitibi
In Val-d’Or, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, the situation has not changed compared to Saturday evening, when the areas of Louvicourt, Lake Wyeth, Lake Gueguen, Lake Matchi-Manitou and Lake Villebon were evacuated.
However, the entire Abitibi region is urged to be cautious due to the poor air quality caused by the fires.
Even if the recommendation to confine themselves indoors ended Sunday morning, the CISSS de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue still invited the population to “show great caution, at least until Monday”.
With The Canadian Press