Although a large number of forest fires have been brought under control by firefighters in the past few days, the game is far from won to put an end to the flames which are still ravaging thousands of hectares in the north of Quebec.
To hope to gain the upper hand, the Society for the Protection of Forests against Fire (SOPFEU) would need a good helping hand from Mother Nature. “The rain is our best ally to take the lead for the rest of things. It would take a good 20 to 22 millimeters of rain over a few days which would allow us to extinguish certain fires for good, ”said its spokesperson and strategic adviser to the general management, Sylvain Tremblay, on Wednesday.
Currently, rainfall is scarce and too sparse to have a significant effect, he says.
“It’s a worrying situation,” continued Mr. Tremblay. We were hoping for a depression at the end of the day yesterday [mardi] and in the evening which would have brought us enough rain, but unfortunately, with the rain we received and which we are forecasting for the next few days, we do not think that this will allow us to bring the situation down to a level where we could regain control by the end of the week. »
In doing so, some municipalities and communities must remain on high alert, while new evacuations are possible if the situation does not improve.
“It is clear that the situation is not normalized. Some fires that we had declared contained have progressed and we cannot exclude [avec la sécheresse] that new lightning fires are triggered or that others reactivate,” warns Mr. Tremblay.
A new fire broke out in the Fermont sector, where two tanker planes are deployed to try to control it, said the Minister of Natural Resources and Forests, Maïté Blanchette Vézina.
Return to Lebel-sur-Quévillon, not for now
Wednesday morning, there were about 2,800 Quebecers who had been evacuated in the past few days who had not yet returned to their homes, said Jean Savard, director general of operations at Civil Security of Quebec.
Residents of Normétal began Wednesday morning to return home, in stages, while those of Lebel-sur-Quévillon, who number 2,000, are still waiting.
The municipality is also not out of the woods, while the expected precipitation “stopped at its doors,” lamented Sylvain Tremblay.
“Around Lebel-sur-Quévillon, between 300,000 and 350,000 hectares are currently on fire. The 344 fire alone exceeds 200,000 hectares, and all around, other fires form a complex,” the spokesperson said.
“Wish us rain please,” Lebel-sur-Quévillon Mayor Guy Lafrenière said in his daily update on the municipality’s Facebook page.
The chosen one flew over the fire on Tuesday in a helicopter. “It’s huge, it’s very, very big,” he commented.
The municipality and the Nordic Kraft plant are not threatened by the flames for the moment, but the lack of precipitation is delaying the return of citizens.
“Unfortunately, we had no precipitation, recalled the mayor. There’s only 0.8mm fallen in the area of our fire, and nothing in the fire near the Windfall mine. »
The Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel, could not be reassured during a press briefing held in a corridor of the National Assembly.
“Keep hope, continue to be patient, pleaded the chosen one. The battle is not won in this sector, we cannot take the risk and say that they can return home because the fire is closer than expected. When we authorize reintegration, it is because we are certain that people will be safe. »
Welcome reinforcement
Currently, nearly 1,200 fire fighters are hard at work to contain the approximately 110 fires still active on the territory. Between 18 and 20 tanker planes take turns daily and 70 helicopters are also involved.
A total of 282 soldiers, including 72 professionals from New Brunswick and 106 others from France, who arrived last Thursday, are in place to support Quebec efforts against the fire.
On Tuesday, a team of 79 people arrived from the United States as reinforcements; it will be enhanced by about forty other members who are expected on Wednesday.
In the afternoon of Wednesday, 100 Portuguese firefighters and 140 other Spaniards must come to lend a hand to the forces in place.
Most of the staff sent from abroad will remain there for two or three weeks. It could be that they stay longer or that the teams are renewed according to needs and future agreements.
The arrival of this relief is welcome, but poses a huge logistical challenge, explained Sylvain Tremblay.
“These people need to be housed and fed, so we need kitchen staff and a place to house them,” said the spokesperson. We may operate from Val-d’Or, but we cannot house all the firefighters there. We need to send some closer to Lebel-sur-Quévillon and Normétal. At the same time, we cannot distribute our people over too many sites at once. »
Wednesday morning, there were still 130 forest fires in Quebec, including 11 in the northern zone. A little less than forty of them were still not under control.
1.2 million hectares of forest have already been affected by fires this year.