'Colossal' task remains in fighting Quebec forest fires: authorities

The rain that began to fall on Monday is giving a "welcome" boost to firefighters battling forest fires in the most critical areas of Quebec, but not enough to put out the fires, warn the authorities.

On Tuesday morning, the Quebec forest fire fighting society (SOPFEU) reported 114 active fires, including 77 in intensive zones. Of the latter figure, 28 are considered to be out of control.

SOPFEU is currently assessing the impact of the rainfall on the ground, which is expected to continue until Wednesday in some regions.

"If enough rain falls, SOPFEU staff will be able to step up their work directly on the ground to work on the fires and prevent them from starting up again once the weather dries up again," said Katia Petit, associate deputy minister and government civil protection coordinator, at a news briefing on Tuesday morning.

Many evacuees will also have to be patient. Of the 4,400 or so evacuees, a "small proportion" could return home on Tuesday.

Julie Coupal of SOPFEU said that the task remains "colossal" and that the "fires are big."

So help from outside the province remains essential in the fight against forest fires, she said.

Quebec will be welcoming around a hundred South Korean firefighters from July 2, Coupal confirmed.

SOPFEU has also requested an extension of the assistance offered by the Canadian Armed Forces.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 27, 2023.