Evacuations are still underway in some communities due to the wildfires on the north coast and in North-du-Québec.
• Also read: Evacuation of Chapais: Dozens of campers landed in the middle of the night
• Also read: Wildfires in Sept-Îles: a ‘runaway and unpredictable’ blaze
• Also read: Lebel-sur-Quévillon: Thousands more citizens evacuated
In Lebel-sur-Quévillon, 150 km north of Val-d’Or, the community’s 2,000 residents received a mandatory evacuation notice late Friday.
On Saturday morning, the municipality announced on its Facebook page that the fire had now subsided.
“He remains a threat to the community; “There is extreme smoke development throughout the municipality,” we would like to point out.
“Even the largest force would not be able to contain this fire. We go there more to protect the community,” says SOPFEU spokesman Stéphane Caron.
Emergency centers have been opened in Senneterre and Val-d’Or to accommodate the population.
The Anishnabe Nation Council of Lac-Simon also ordered a full evacuation of the community on Saturday morning.
Still evacuated to Sept-Îles
Sept-Îles residents who live east of downtown are still being evacuated as of Saturday morning, 24 hours after the evacuation order.
To accommodate these people, shelters were set up in Port-Cartier, Baie-Comeau and Forestville.
More than 70 firefighters are currently on site to secure the municipal infrastructure.
“There wasn’t much activity overnight. At the moment we are assuming that it will be pretty quiet today,” said SOPFEU’s Isabelle Gariépy in a press conference on Saturday morning.
Maliotenam, located near Sept-Îles, also evacuated its 1,500 residents.
Meeting with Innu Takuaikan Uashat mak Mani-utenam Band Council to review operations. According to the latest information, 230 people moved to the community of Pessamit after the evacuation. @IanLafreniere #polqc pic.twitter.com/TZDNVXwOAk
— Kateri Champagne Jourdain (@CJKateri) June 3, 2023
A hundred soldiers will arrive on the north coast on Saturday, and another hundred on Sunday.
Disaster Relief Secretary Bill Blair formally approved Quebec’s request to include members of the Canadian Armed Forces as reinforcements.
“THE [Forces armées] Provide firefighting resources and help plan and coordinate wildland firefighting in the province,” Blair tweeted.
Evacuees will return home
The 800 residents of the Chapais sectors near Chibougamau who were evacuated Thursday night will be able to return to their homes Saturday noon, the city said.
“However, vigilance and caution are always appropriate: we reiterate THE BAN on moving in the forest, by any means whatsoever, and on making open fire,” it says.
closed forests
According to the latest data from SOPFEU, 136 fires are still active in Quebec, with 100 of them out of control. Only two fires have broken out in the last 12 hours.
“We are working more specifically on around twenty fires. With this number of fires, it is impossible for SOPFEU to attack them all at the same time. There is a prioritization based on human lives and then on strategic infrastructures,” specifies Stéphane Caron.
The ban on open fire applies throughout Quebec. Public forests are also closed until further notice in several regions, including the Laurentians, Lanaudière and Mauricie.
I would like to thank all the speakers from the bottom of my heart for their hard work over the past few days. Our priority for everyone is the safety of Quebecers and we will do whatever is necessary to make that happen. Please cooperate with local authorities. pic.twitter.com/V9Sq8EXSXb
— Francois Bonnardel (@fbonnardelCAQ) June 3, 2023
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