Despite difficult weather conditions, Chibougamau, Que. residents avoid second evacuation

Despite weather conditions that are complicating firefighters' work, residents in Chibougamau, Que. do not need to be evacuated for the time being, the municipality's mayor announced Sunday afternoon.

The city is currently at "a good distance" from fire 334 and 379, Mayor Manon Cyr said in a video posted on the municipality's Facebook page.

"Trigger lines" have been established in collaboration with Quebec's forest fire prevention agency, Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU). Should the fires reach these locations more than 10 kilometers from Chibougamau, the town of 7,300 inhabitants would have seven to 10 hours to evacuate. For now, the fires are a long way off.

We know that the people at SOPFEU are doing everything they can to do the work they have to do, but the smoke and weather conditions aren't helping at the moment," said Cyr.

"We're lucky, the winds aren't as strong as we thought they'd be."

Rain is expected in the next few days, but the municipality's air quality remains a concern. The mayor reiterated the importance of closing home windows and shutting off air exchangers.

"Can we sleep easy? Yes, but let's remain vigilant, let's remain cautious", said the mayor, noting that she'll believe the rain is coming only when she sees it.

All Chibougamau residents were forced to evacuate on the evening of June 6, before being able to return to their homes almost a week later, on June 12. The population was invited to head for Roberval, some three hours away by car.

Chibougamau wasn't the first Quebec town to face a second evacuation. In Lebel-sur-Quévillon, in the James Bay region, another complete evacuation happened Thursday evening and was still in effect on Sunday morning.

In both cases, the return of the rain is eagerly awaited.

The 344 fire that is threatening Lebel-sur-Quévillon was stable on Sunday morning, said municipal councillor Denis Lemoyne, 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 to the south. Air support has been requested, and ground crews with machinery are on the ground," said Lemoyne. He also asked the public to come and lend a hand at the Val-d'Or shelter, where there is currently a shortage of volunteers.

Households forced to evacuate a second time are entitled to claim a further $1,500 in compensation from the Quebec government.

SOPFEU's air tankers and helicopters were grounded on Sunday, as heavy smoke reduced their visibility. The Radisson sector in Northern Quebec was the only one where aerial operations could be carried out on Sunday morning.

"It's been a few days now that the smoke has made our air operations more difficult. That doesn't mean we can't do a few missions every day, but for the moment, our ability to fly is very limited because of the smoke," said Stéphane Caron, prevention and communications coordinator at SOPFEU.

The rain forecast for the next few days could help contain some of the fires, and allow crews to resume their aerial work. Several factors explain the large amount of smoke currently being generated by the fires.

"The last week we've been through has been very difficult. There hasn't been any rain for over a week, temperatures are very high, and relative humidities are low. This generates a lot of activity on the blazes", said Caron. The large surface area of the fires is also a factor.

Across the province, 81 fires were still active on Sunday morning, in addition to 33 others in northern zones, according to data provided by SOPFEU on its website.

On Sunday, SOPFEU said it was fighting 43 priority fires. Of the active fires in the province, 25 are not under control.

The Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord, Nord-du-Québec and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean regions are still those of greatest concern to the authorities, according to an update published Sunday morning on the Ministry of Public Safety's website.

Flammability indices still ranged from "very high" to "extreme" in several regions of Quebec on Sunday morning, Public Safety also reported. In addition to Lebel-sur-Quévillon, evacuations are also underway in parts of Senneterre and Val-d'Or, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, as well as Mistissini and Valcanton, in Northern Quebec. More tha 430 vulnerable people in the Mauricie community of Obedjiwan were also evacuated as a precautionary measure.

The situation was stable on Sunday in Senneterre, and no new evacuations were announced. However, Mayor Nathalie Ann Pelchat urged the population to be cautious on the roads, as accidents involving animals have been reported in the region.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 25, 2023.