Quebec now taking the offensive against forest fires: natural resources minister | 24CA News
The variety of uncontrolled forest fires in Quebec has declined as firefighters start to take the offensive as a substitute of simply reacting to the blazes, the province’s pure assets minister mentioned Sunday.
Maïté Blanchette Vézina mentioned there are nonetheless 131 fires burning within the province, however the variety of these categorised as out-of-control has dropped by 28 and now stands at44.
“We’ve gone from a reactive mode to an offensive mode,” she informed reporters in Quebec City.
Wildland firefighters spray water on hotspots in a forest close to Lac Waconichi, Que., on June 4, 2023. Quebec’s pure assets minister says wilderness firefighters are actually taking the offensive towards the province’s forest fires, as a substitute of simply reacting to the fires.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-SOPFEU, Audrey Marcoux
Fires close to a number of communities in northern and northwestern Quebec have been introduced partially below management, Blanchette Vezina mentioned, however warned that with no rain anticipated within the affected areas earlier than Tuesday, winds and continued dry circumstances may stoke the flames.
Despite the progress, she mentioned not one of the almost 14,000 Quebecers who’ve been pressured from their properties will be capable of return within the “very short term,” although some individuals could possibly return earlier than the top of the week.
“I know there are a lot of citizens who have been evacuated who are anxious to know when they will be able to return home,” she mentioned. “For the moment, the situation remains difficult in the Nord-du-Quebec sector, in Abitibi, so no return in the very short term. That said, things are improving.”
But later within the day, Chibougamau Mayor Manon Cyr mentioned in a video posted on the municipal Facebook web page that the town’s roughly 7,500 residents may start returning to their properties on Monday morning, although warned that companies will probably be restricted and there’ll nonetheless be smoke within the air.
Flore Bouchon, spokeswoman for Blanchette Vézina, mentioned in interview that the state of affairs in Chibougamau has improved and that whereas the province is in settlement in regards to the return, the municipality has last say on the evacuation order.
Blanchette Vezina mentioned it was too early to debate plans to permit residents again into the northwestern Quebec cities of Normetal, the place flames had been 500 metres from components of the neighborhood on Saturday, and Lebel-sur-Quevillon, the place the hearth was just a few kilometres away.
Lebel-sur-Quevillon Mayor Guy Lafreniere mentioned the hearth has not moved previously three days. More than 100 firefighters from the United States are anticipated to reach on Tuesday and Wednesday to assist battle the hearth, he mentioned in a reside video broadcast on the town’s Facebook web page.
Blanchette Vezina mentioned reinforcements from different jurisdictions are permitting firefighters to launch “coordinated attacks” on the blazes, together with a bunch of firefighters from France who’re attacking a hearth threatening the Atikamekw neighborhood of Obedjiwan.
More than a million hectares of forest has burned to date in Quebec this yr, together with almost 750,000 hectares in what the province’s forest fireplace prevention and combating service calls it’s “intensive protection zone” — all of Quebec south of the fiftieth or 51st parallel, relying on the realm.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
