Residents of Quebec town evacuated 2 weeks ago because of fire to return home Sunday

Residents of a northern Quebec town that has been under an evacuation order for the past two weeks due to forest fires are expected to be allowed home on Sunday, the town's mayor said.

Lebel-sur-Quevillon Mayor Guy Lafreniere announced the news in a Facebook video on Friday, adding that some essential workers would return immediately to ensure services are in place when residents arrive.

"Sunday, June 18, everything will be ready," Lafreniere said. "The health centre will be ready, the grocery store will be ready, the depanneur, the gas station, everything will be ready."

The workers and business owners returning Friday and Saturday are not allowed to bring their children, since health service will not yet be operational, he said. Lafreniere said a more detailed plan for the return home would be announced Saturday.

Forests Minister Maite Blanchette Vezina said Friday that the flammability risk for the Lebel-sur-Quevillon area had risen overnight. However, officials said both the town and a nearby pulp mill -- which had posed a concern because of chemicals stored there -- are well protected by fire breaks and by the arrival of additional firefighters from the United States.

The town of about 2,000 people has been under an evacuation order since June 2.

Lafreniere said an additional 140 firefighters from Portugal would be arriving to help attack fire 344, which remained out of control Friday morning. He said the fire, which has burned 1,320 square kilometres, has come within 3.5 kilometres of Highway 113, an important route in and out of the area.

However, he said the winds appeared favourable, which should allow the firefighters to make progress toward containing the section of the fire nearest to the highway.

Lebel-sur-Quevillon, located 620 kilometres northwest of Montreal, is the last community that remains under a full evacuation order after unprecedented wildfires forced more than 13,500 people across the province from their homes over the last two weeks.

Hundreds of firefighters from France, the United States, Spain and Portugal have arrived in the province in the last few days after the high number of fires in Quebec -- and across Canada -- forced governments to ask for outside help.

The province's forest fire prevention agency -- SOPFEU -- said there were still 124 fires burning in Quebec as of Friday morning. The province has recorded 455 forest fires this year, compared to a 10-year average of 229 at the same date.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2023.