After the arrival of firefighters from New Brunswick, the Abitibi-Ouest brigades are receiving help from soldiers who arrive this morning in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
A SOPFEU air tanker in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.
The flames, which were less than 500 meters from Normétal on Thursday, are receding “a little”, a first since the start of the fire. The blaze has not caused any material loss so far. It is considered less aggressive compared to Wednesday.
Normand Lagrange, director general of the MRC d'Abitibi-Ouest, however, fears that the fire is approaching the flank south of Normétal, on the night of Friday to Saturday, due to a change in the direction of the winds.
A New Brunswick major fire crew arrives this morning in Abitibi-Ouest.
Since yesterday, SOPFEU has proposed to the municipality to make a trench of 40 meters around the urban core, precisely on the south and south-east side, in order to make a barrier in removing the vegetation, he explained to the show Des matins en or. Work has started. It was over half a mile yesterday and it will continue today.
The teams on the ground were continuously supported on Thursday by ten tanker planes. A team from New Brunswick's major fires arrived at Normetal this morning to take stock of the situation.
Tanker planes took turns tirelessly in Abitibi-Ouest on Wednesday to prevent the forest fire from reaching the village of Normetal.
The fight against the flames has been raging for a bit more than a week.
Around forty members of the Canadian Armed Forces are also expected today. The director of public security at the City of Rouyn-Noranda, Luc Tremblay, ensures that the municipality is ready to receive them.
We are preparing the ground to be able to welcome interveners so that they can be able to lend a hand, in particular those of the Armed Forces. The logistics are slowly settling in, he reported.
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At La Reine, the efforts of the Society for the Protection of Forests against Fire (SOPFEU) are considered encouraging. The state of emergency is extended for five days. As in Clerval, local elected officials remain on high alert in the event that they issue an evacuation order.
The most recent instructions are to be prepared, but also, nevertheless, to be positive, mentioned to It's worth the returnMayor Fanny Dupras-Rossier. At the same time, I can't say that everything will be fine, nobody knows. You have to trust the Municipality.
Further east, the Ministry of Public Security transferred about fifty detainees from Amos prison as a preventive measure. This operation began on Thursday, although the municipality is not subject to any imminent threat related to forest fires.
The two forest fires under close surveillance merged near Lebel-sur-Quévillon to cover an area of 132,000 hectares. Urban infrastructure is not threatened for the moment, according to SOPFEU. The municipality has about 2000 inhabitants. They were ordered to evacuate last Friday.
Evacuees from Lebel-sur-Quévillon will have to take their troubles patiently. Prime Minister François Legault warns that a return is not soon. The situation is stable. Unfortunately, however, it is unlikely that people will be able to return home before Tuesday, he said Thursday.
Quebec Premier François Legault gave an update on the forest fires raging in Quebec at a press briefing on Thursday.
The Quebec government announced Friday morning that citizens affected by the spring and summer 2023 forest fires will receive a lump sum compensation of $1,500 per evacuated residence.
So far, 13,500 Quebecers and First Nations people have had to leave their homes due to the forest fires.
Trenches were dug to the south, in Senneterre, in the Vallée-de-l’Or MRC, to protect the urban perimeter of the municipality. Crews are working to create 40-meter-wide strips behind residences north of town, near the area that was preemptively evacuated on Wednesday.
The surrounding area is being thoroughly cleaned in preparation for the trenching.
The fire near Lebel-sur-Quévillon is about 50 km from the heart of Senneterre. The situation is considered stable for the moment due to the direction of the winds.
Smoke covered the village of Rivière-Héva for at least ten minutes on Sunday morning June 4.
Air quality remains poor across Abitibi-Témiscamingue due to fine particles emanating from the smoke released by forest fires. The intensity of the smoke plume will vary from one corner of the region to another, according to the Public Health Department (DSPu) of the Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS) of Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
The MRCs of Vallée-de-l'Or and Abitibi will be particularly affected, with air quality deemed very poor until Saturday morning. The MRC of Abitibi-Ouest and the City of Rouyn-Noranda will also be affected, as will the MRC of Témiscamingue at least until Friday morning.
La DSP de l'Abitibi -Témiscamingue recommends that so-called vulnerable citizens, such as the elderly, pregnant women and children, stay indoors, close doors and windows as well as air exchangers. People who work outdoors are advised to wear N95 masks and rest indoors regularly.
Smoke obscured the sky over Senneterre on Tuesday June 6 in the late afternoon.
The damage caused by the 128 active forest fires in Quebec is being felt elsewhere in North America. From Toronto to New York, large metropolises have to deal with the smoke pushed by the north winds.
The forest fires that hit Abitibi-Témiscamingue challenge the inhabitants of the region, who are mobilizing online to offer a helping hand.
Many individuals, businesses and institutions that provide evacuees with accommodation and land capable of accommodating motorized vehicles.
These firefighters from Grand-Remous who come to the aid of SOPFEU in the La Vérendrye wildlife reserve were motivated at work on Wednesday.
These gestures of solidarity extend to animals. More than 1000 farm animals have been evacuated in recent days.
At the National Assembly, Premier François Legault said Thursday morning that the caribou protection strategy will be revised to take into account the consequences of forest fires.
L' pre-alert closure status which targeted Route 117 between Louvicourt and Grand-Remous was lifted Friday morning. The Ministère des Transports du Québec has been inviting road users in recent days to review their movements for fear that the smoke will reduce visibility on sections of the road. Movements of animals due to the fires were also apprehended.
Motors should stop at a checkpoint on Route 113.< /p>
Route 113, crossed by the fire near Lebel-sur-Quévillon, remains closed between Senneterre and Waswanipi. The same goes for route 1005 between Lebel-sur-Quévillon and Matagami. The Route du Nord is also closed between Chibougamau and Eeyou Istchee Baie-James.
