Despite weather conditions making it difficult for firefighters to do their jobs, Chibougamau residents would not need to be evacuated for the time being, the community’s mayor said Sunday.
The city of Chibougamau is currently “a fair distance” from stoplights 334 and 379, Mayor Manon Cyr said in a video posted to the community’s Facebook page.
“Trigger lines” were set up in cooperation with the Society for the Protection of Forests from Fires (SOPFEU). Should the fires reach those locations, more than ten kilometers from Chibougamau, the town of 7,300 would have seven to 10 hours to evacuate the site. The fires are still a long way off for now.
“We know the SOPFEU people are doing everything they can to get the job done, but the smoke and weather conditions aren’t helping at the moment,” Ms Cyr said. We’re lucky, the winds aren’t as fierce as we thought. »
Rain is expected in the coming days but air quality remains an issue in the community. The mayor reminded how important it is to close the windows of her house and the air exchanger.
“Can we sleep peacefully? Yes, but let’s stay vigilant, let’s stay careful,” the mayor summarized, specifying that she would only believe in the rain once she saw it.
All Chibougamau residents had to be urgently evacuated on the evening of June 6 before they could begin the journey home almost a week later, on June 12. The population had been invited to drive to Roberval, about a three-hour drive away.
Maintained evacuation in Lebel-sur-Quévillon
In Lebel-sur-Quévillon, in Jamésie, another complete evacuation took place on Thursday evening, which was still in force on Sunday morning. The return of the rain is eagerly awaited.
Fire 344 threatening Lebel-sur-Quévillon remained stable on Sunday, Councilor Denis Lemoyne said in a video posted on the municipality’s Facebook page.
“For fires 256 and 314, which are further north, the fires have progressed a little further south. Air support has been requested and ground crew with machines are on the ground,” Lemoyne said. He also urged the population to help out at the Val-d’Or shelter, which is currently short of volunteers.
Households that have to be evacuated a second time have the right to apply for a new $1,500 compensation offered by the Quebec government.
Air tankers are on the ground
SOPFEU tanker planes and helicopters had to remain on the ground on Sunday because of the heavy smoke that affected their visibility. The Radisson sector in North-du-Québec was the only one where airborne operations could be conducted.
“Our flight operations have been more difficult for a few days due to the smoke. That doesn’t mean that we can’t do a few missions every day, but at the moment the ability to fly is very limited due to the smoke,” explains Stéphane Caron, Coordinator for Prevention and Communication to SOPFEU.
Rain forecast for the next few days could help contain some fires and allow teams to resume aerial work.
Several factors explain the large amount of smoke from the current fires. “The last week we went through was very difficult. It has been more than a week since it rained, temperatures are very high and relative humidity is low. It’s generating a lot of activity on the fires,” Mr Caron said. The large area of the fires also has something to do with it.
Our flight operations have been hampered for a few days due to smoke development
According to SOPFEU on its website, 81 fires were still active across the province on Sunday, in addition to 33 others in the northern zone.
SOPFEU said Sunday it was fighting 43 priority fires. Of the active fires in the province, 25 are uncontrolled.
Four areas of concern
According to an update published on the website on Sunday, the regions of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord, Nord-du-Québec and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean remain those of greatest concern to authorities. Ministry of Public Security website.
Flammability indexes were still fluctuating from “very high” to “extreme” in several Quebec regions as of Sunday morning, according to public safety.
In addition to Lebel-sur-Quévillon, evacuations are also taking place in certain sectors of Senneterre and Val-d’Or in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, as well as in Mistissini and the town of Valcanton in North-du-Quebec.
In its update, the city of La Sarre said that citizens of Valcanton will be able to return to their homes from 5 p.m. tonight. A fire that was just across the Ontario border was reported entering Quebec north of fire 281 yesterday.
“Fire 281 was already very active in the Northwest Sector, near the Ontario border. Yesterday, four tankers carried out an operation in the morning and at the end of the day another operation could be carried out to limit the advance towards Val-Paradis,” the city of La Sarre said on its Facebook page.
Saturday’s winds, which would blow more easterly, should steer those fires toward Ontario.
In addition, as a preventive measure, more than 430 vulnerable people were also evacuated from the municipality of Obedjiwan in Mauricie.
The situation in Senneterre was stable on Sunday, with no new evacuations announced. However, Mayor Nathalie Ann Pelchat urged residents to exercise caution on the roads, as accidents involving animals are reported in the region.