Number of Quebec Wildfires Rises to 164, at Least 114 Are out of Control
Soldiers were set to arrive to help fight forest fires in Quebec Monday as the number of fires continued to rise.
There were 164 forest fires burning in Quebec Monday, up from 155 the day before, Kateri Champagne Jourdain, the minister responsible for the province’s Côte-Nord region, told a news conference.
At least 114 of those fires were out of control, according to the province’s forest fire prevention service, SOPFEU.
Champagne Jourdain said the fires in her region northeast of Quebec City were unprecedented. She spoke in Sept-Îles, Que., a city threatened by two fires — including one no more than seven kilometres away — with a third burning not far away.
The risk hit home during a helicopter flight over the fires Sunday, Champagne Jourdain said.
“We saw that in an instant, the situation could change. So even though it may seem like it’s far at times, the fires are at our doors,” she said. “The force and the size of the fire was stunning, so we absolutely have to let the teams gain ground.”
The work facing forest firefighters is complex, she said, because even though one of the fires is not far from the city, the area is difficult to access.
She said 138 Canadian Armed Forces members arrived in the area Sunday, with another 100 expected Monday, adding that the troops have received training so they can support the province’s wilderness firefighters.
With the help of the soldiers and a favourable weather forecast that includes significant rain, Sept-Îles Mayor Steeve Beaupré said he’s hopeful the fire nearest his city can be brought under control in the coming days. The other fire is moving north, away from the city, but grew Sunday afternoon.
“There are still concerns about the progress and behaviour of the fire,” he told reporters.
Beaupré said an evacuation order that has forced about 4,500 people from their homes remains in place, and he encouraged people to avoid going outside because of the heavy smoke.
“We all know you’re anxious to get back to your homes, but I’d like to ask for a bit more patience, so that when it is possible to return, you can sleep soundly knowing that you and all the members of your family are safe,” he said.
In Lebel-sur-Quévillon in northwestern Quebec, where a fire has forced around 2,000 people from their homes, Mayor Guy Lafrenière said Monday an evacuation order remains in place. While winds were pushing one fire away from the city, authorities had begun monitoring a second fire that could head toward the municipality.
More than 156,000 hectares have burned in Quebec this year, compared with a 10-year average of 247 hectares as of the same date, SOPFEUQuebec Minister of Employment Kateri Champagne Jourdain responds to the Opposition at the legislature in Quebec City, Friday, Dec. 2, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot said.
Smoke from the fires has also led to Environment Canada smog warnings across large swaths of Quebec, including in Montreal.
