In Abitibi-Témiscamingue, the forest fire situation remains very worrying, but the situation in Normetal, this commune of almost 800 inhabitants, is even more worrying. The fires are ongoing and are now classified as “most vulnerable”.
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On Wednesday evening, residents of the small community held their breath as the fire continued to spread, coming dangerously close to homes 500 meters away.
Screenshot | VAT News
However, Prime Minister François Legault remains confident that residents will not be affected by the flames.
“The fire moved closer to the community. 845 people are still evacuated. But we keep going. We don’t think the city will be affected, but it remains the most vulnerable place,” he commented at Thursday’s midday press conference.
The population is on alert and working hard to contain these historic fires.
Screenshot | VAT News
According to the director general of our journalist Yves Poirier, a total of ten tanker planes will fly over Normétal on Thursday to irrigate the village of Saint-Lambert.
In the 9th Avenue sector, the forest has been soaked since Thursday morning thanks to the irrigation work by the fire department.
All measures taken by SOPFEU give hope. “Firebreaks installed on the outskirts of the site, the role of tanker planes reducing the intensity of the flames, the fact that we are on one side and not at the top, our passive defenses and the weather for the next two days reveals.” We trust that,” adds SOPFEU spokesman Sylvain Tremblay.
The wind blows from the northeast at about 15 km/h. Several ditches are being dug with machines in front of the footpaths to withstand the fires as much as possible, the director-general adds in a publication.
“It’s the side of the fire that’s 500 meters away. SOPFEU contained the fire caused by tanker aircraft. At the moment it is not the wind that is spreading the fire towards the Normé Valley,” comments Maité Blanchette Vézina, Minister of Natural Resources and Forests.