A resident evacuated from Lebel-sur-Quévillon saw terrifying images as she set out yesterday to flee the forest fires and get to the checkpoint at the Senneterre Arena.
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“It was like a fire monster,” says Jacynthe Barrette, who lives near the beach on Lac Quévillon in northern Quebec.
“I’ve never seen that before. Yes, there was a big fire in 1995, but it’s nothing like it because it’s much closer,” says the woman, who posted a video on her Facebook page before leaving her home.
Ms Barrette, who works at the offices of the Department of Natural Resources and Forests, made her way to her home around 4pm and rushed to pack her suitcase while awaiting instructions from public safety.
“I didn’t want to forget my medication. When the sirens went off around town, I said to my roommate, “Come on!”
At the exit of the town, the motorists respected the instructions of the Sûreté du Québec and the evacuation took place without panic gestures.
“We drove around 100 km/h, no one passed the others and the sky was black, black, black. It was beyond reality,” she says.
Ash to Val d’Or
After a stopover at the Senneterre Arena, Jacynthe Barrette was able to drive to Val-d’Or to stay in a hotel.
“These are not pranks, there is ash on my car, the ash fell as far as Val-d’Or,” she said, referring to the distance of around 150 kilometers that separates the two communities.
In the next few hours, the lady will consider the possibility of visiting her family in the Témiscamingue region.
After the evacuation, she was glad that all her friends and local residents were safe despite the inconvenience of the wildfires.
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