This was confirmed by Quebec Minister of Public Safety François Bonnardel during a press conference on Sunday morning.
We fought 35 fires [comparativement] Yesterday at 9 p.m., he said. You will understand that there have been these fires [choisis] to protect our critical infrastructure, but above all to protect our population, [pour] protection [ses] Were.
All of our resources are currently focused on these 35 fires, Minister Bonnardel added.
The town of Amos in Abitibi is covered with a very thick layer of smoke from forest fires.
Photo: Tommy Martel
“At the moment, the situation does not allow us to fight all the fires,” confirmed Stéphane Caron, SOPFEU’s prevention and communication coordinator, in an interview on ICI RDI. “We continue to attack between 25 and 30 at a time,” he added.
“We have to move the tankers from one fire to the next to try to contain them […], but you can’t necessarily turn them off entirely. »
— A quote from Stéphane Caron, Coordinator for Prevention and Communication at SOPFEU
Mr. Caron also pointed out that SOPFEU supports its efforts based on the support that can be offered to communities close to the fires.
Stéphane Caron of the Society for the Protection of Forests from Fire (SOPFEU) took stock of the 148 forest fires that are still burning in Quebec late Sunday afternoon.
The situation in Abitibi remains particularly critical, where residents of certain districts of Val-d’Or had to leave their homes on Saturday evening.
The Lebel-sur-Quévillon and Lac-Simon areas had previously also been evacuated.
According to Mr Caron, the fire that threatens Lebel-sur-Quévillon covers about 30,000 hectares.
Earlier in the day, the SOPFEU boss spoke of 100,000 hectares, i.e. three times as much, and did not hesitate to speak of the largest fire in Quebec’s history.
At the end of the afternoon, Mr. Caron explained that when the extent of this disaster was first measured, the huge plume of smoke made observations difficult. Technically, things are still going well. [de lutte contre les flammes] on this side, he added.
Therefore, the authorities do not expect that the fire will reach the city center of Val-d’Or. In a press conference the previous Sunday, François wanted to reassure Bonnardel. There is no concern for the next few hours, except for a short-term fire that could reach Val-d’Or, he said.
Still, a heavy plume of smoke is enveloping the city and the air quality there is so poor that authorities are recommending residents to stay indoors and close windows and air coolers.
Mr Caron said that SOPFEU has several aircraft in the Val-d’Or area, more specifically around Normal, to help contain the fires.
The situation is still worrying, he admitted.
We feel that the usability versus firepower is an issue.
The fire near Lebel-sur-Quévillon is one of the largest in Quebec history.
Photo: Joelle Barrette
Rain and reinforcements are coming
However, Mr Caron said he was pleased with the forthcoming rain in certain regions. However, the rain didn’t fall until it fell.
In Sept-Îles on the north coast, the results appear to be more encouraging. According to Stéphane Caron, favorable winds gave firefighters a boost and drove the smoke beyond the city limits. Rain is also expected in the coming days.
More than 6,000 people remain under a strict evacuation order, which city authorities extended for at least 24 hours on Sunday.
The SOPFEU firefighters will soon be able to count on reinforcements.
Already 100 Canadian Army soldiers are on site to help with coordination and logistics. Hundreds more will complete accelerated forest firefighter training on Sunday and will help out on site Monday.
“Within a few days, more than 1000 people should be on site to fight these fires. »
– A quote from François Bonnardel, Minister of Public Security
In addition, SOPFEU expects around 200 auxiliary firefighters and more than 350 firefighters from abroad to join.
French President Emmanuel Macron wanted to offer his support to those affected by the fires in Quebec. France shows solidarity, he wrote on Twitter, promising that a hundred of our firefighters are preparing to fight the flames with their Quebec comrades.
“Canadian friends, reinforcements are coming,” he added.
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According to Stéphane Caron, this aid should allow SOPFEU to change its strategy, currently aimed at protecting cities and infrastructure, to attack and set about extinguishing the fires for good.
Thank you cousins! replied the Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault, on Twitter.
The Quebec leader is also due to meet with Quebec public safety agencies around 1 p.m. Monday. In addition, Mr. Legault will give a press conference on the subject at 1:30 p.m.
forbidden forest
“We are facing a situation that has never existed on our territory,” said Minister of Natural Resources and Forests Maïté Blanchette Vézina, who was also present at Sunday’s press conference.
Her ministry has issued new access bans to the forest to have a preventive effect, she said.
The Minister for Natural Resources and Forests, Maïté Blanchette Vézina (file photo)
Photo: Radio Canada
Therefore, citizens are prohibited from walking in the forest in several regions, namely Nord-du-Québec, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Outaouais, Côte-Nord, Mauricie, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, the Laurentians and Lanaudière.
This is aimed at avoiding an escalation of the situation and letting the teams work, she explained.
“We saw people in precarious situations. When the SOPFEU firefighters help endangered citizens in the forest, they are not putting out the fires. »
– A quote from Maïté Blanchette Vézina, Minister for Natural Resources and Forests
Ms. Blanchette Vézina also urged all Quebecers not to go into the forest, even those who do not live in the regions affected by these bans.
We want to contain the fires we are currently having and prevent more fires from starting. “We already need the necessary space,” said the minister.
“That includes the private forest, which includes your cabins,” she insisted. You are not allowed to go into the forest anywhere in Quebec.