Smoke rises from burning trees near Chapais, in Northern Quebec, on Friday June 2, 2023 in this image provided by the fire prevention agency known as SOPFEU. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-SOPFEU Prevention and Communications-Audrey Marcoux **MANDATORY CREDIT **
Smoke rises from burning trees near Chapais, in Northern Quebec, on Friday June 2, 2023 in this image provided by the fire prevention agency known as SOPFEU. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-SOPFEU Prevention and Communications-Audrey Marcoux **MANDATORY CREDIT **
MONTREAL - Wildfires in northwestern Quebec prompted thousands to evacuate the area over the weekend, as the number of blazes across the province pushed past 150 and firefighters and the military poured into a pair of regions to fight the encroaching flames — even as that threat eased slightly Sunday on the North Shore.
Another 4,500 people in the North Shore community of Sept-ÃŽles and its outskirts were also forced from their homes due to two wildfires burning north of the city, but no further evacuations are planned at the moment, Bonnardel said.
Rain is expected in the area in the coming days — though not as much as initially forecasted — and the wind direction there and in Abitibi are favourable, he added.
Nonetheless, the state of emergency in Sept-ÃŽles, which sits about 890 kilometres northeast of Montreal, has been extended for five days, with evacuation orders in place at least through Monday morning. Some 100 soldiers were set to arrive Sunday evening to lend a hand, hot on the heels of the 100 who landed in the city Saturday.
The number of forest fires in the province notched up to 156 Sunday from 134 the day before, including 35 actively being fought by teams from Quebec forest fire prevention organization SOPFEU.
Hundreds of soldierswill deploy across Quebec, joining roughly 500 firefighters under SOPFEU's banner, he said.
“Within a few days, there should be more than 1,000 people on the ground to fight these fires,†Bonnardel said. The additional manpower will allow crews to go on the offensive and reduce the blazes, rather than simply defending homes and critical infrastructure, he added.
A further 100 firefighters from France are en route to shore up the effort, President Emmanuel Macron said in a Twitter post Sunday afternoon. "Canadian friends, reinforcements are coming," he wrote in French.
No blazes are currently threatening the city of Val-d'Or itself, SOPFEU said Sunday. Between 6 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday, public health officials had recommended staying home with the windows closed due to the smoky haze engulfing the area.
"The fire situation is evolving encouragingly, but it remains out of control and threatening for the municipality," he said.
"The situation may not have gotten worse, but it has to get better ... We made the decision to go gradually and watch the evolution for the next 24 hours."
“As long as it is not contained, the state of a fire can change depending on where we are with the temperature," she said.
Roughly 14,000 Quebecers have been forced from their homes in recent days, including in Sept-ÃŽles and the neighbouring Innu community of Mani-Utenam.
While speaking with CBC’s Rosemary Barton, federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said over the weekend Canada is experiencing a fire season earlier than normal and spanning multiple regions of the country simultaneously — from Alberta to Nova Scotia — making for "interesting and unique challenges" around resources.
This report by °µÍø½ûÇø was first published June 4, 2023.
