A mountaintop in Mont-Saint-Gregoire, a town of 3,000 located 50 kilometres southeast of Montreal, was engulfed in flames overnight after a group of young people lost control of a bonfire at around 11 p.m. Friday.
The flames leaped from tree to tree, eventually burning 3.5 hectares of forest, around the size of seven football fields.
Firefighters had no choice but to let the blaze burn overnight, as the darkness made a hike to the summit too dangerous.
In the morning the firefighters were required to carry long hoses to up the mountain to fight the conflagration.
“It’s very dangerous work because it’s very steep and its very high up,” said Mont-Saint-Gregoire Fire Chief Ernest Bernard.
The recent hot and sunny conditions increased the chances of fire, he noted.
“It’s very dry and the risk is very high and you can see the result today.”
There is likely no way, however, to fully prevent such an event from recurring.
“Blocking some entrances might help, doing night patrols might help,” said Michele Durand of the Mont Saint-Gregoire Interpretation Centre. “I don't think we can solve the problem but we can make it less acute.”
One nearby resident blamed the kids for starting the fire.
“I find it very disrespectful when people light fires and don't control them, especially when it’s dry like this,” said Alexis Laliberte.
No injuries were reported and no homes were damaged by the fire.
