Sept-Iles, Que. declares state of emergency due to wildfires
A city on Quebec's north shore declared a state of emergency on Friday as forest fires raged in different parts of the province, forcing thousands from their homes.
Sept-Iles Mayor Steeve Beaupre said certain sectors of his city about 890 kilometres northeast of Montreal were ordered to evacuate by 4 p.m. Friday as a preventive measure, with an emergency shelter set up in nearby Port-Cartier.
The Uashat Mak Mani-utenam First Nation said the roughly 1,500 residents of the Innu community of Mani-Utenam outside Sept-Iles, have also been told to leave their homes. They will be taken to Pessamit, an Innu community southwest of Baie-Comeau.
Two fires are burning near Sept-Iles, which has a population of just over 25,000. One of those fires progressed quickly overnight, said Isabelle Gariepy, a spokeswoman for Quebec's forest fire prevention organization, known as SOPFEU.
Beaupre said the fire's rapid growth wasn't anticipated. "Last night, according to the latest information, it was not going in that direction, but the fire has progressed a lot," Beaupre said in justifying the evacuation order. "There could be a junction between the two fires that are currently active."
On Wednesday, another out-of-control forest fire in northern Quebec forced the evacuation of about 500 homes in Chapais, east of Chibougamau.
Chapais Mayor Isabelle Lessard said Friday would be decisive in determining whether residents could return home, and she warned that even without visible signs of fire, there can still be danger.
"It remains an invisible enemy," Lessard told a briefing on Friday. "We don't currently see the fire from the city, we don't see any smoke either, but ... it's still there, it's still big, it's still out of control."
Late Friday, Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel confirmed on Twitter that he has asked Ottawa for Canadian Armed Forces assistance to deal with the forest fires in Quebec.
Federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair acknowledged the request and said Ottawa was working to identify the "appropriate federal resources."
Quebec has also sought firefighting help from other countries, notably the United States, Portugal and Mexico, said Natural Resources and Forestry Minister Maite Blanchette Vezina.
About 400 firefighters with the province's forest fire prevention organization are deployed, and the province's civil security department is fully mobilized.
According to SOPFEU, there were 119 active fires in the province as of Friday afternoon, a figure that has been continuously in flux due to the hot, dry temperatures enveloping the province.
Earlier, Bonnardel said about 20 fires have been deemed priorities to protect homes and Hydro-Quebec infrastructure.
Bonnardel said about 10,000 people are affected by the evacuation order on Quebec's north shore and 1,000 in Chapais.
The province's Natural Resources and Public Security departments issued a notice Thursday asking people to avoid travelling in forests as much as possible due to the high fire risk. Earlier this week, authorities issued a ban on fires in or near forests across the province.
Premier Francois Legault on Friday urged people to follow the advice of authorities. "I'm asking all Quebecers not to go into forests, and if you're asked to evacuate to follow that guidance," he told reporters.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada,' dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.