Small forest fire extinguished in Quebec's Oka Park
Quebec firefighters were deployed to the Oka provincial park Saturday evening to battle a small forest fire that was likely caused by a discarded cigarette butt, authorities say.
The fire is believed to have started near the Oka Calvary, a popular hiking spot about 60 kilometres west of Montreal, Noovo Info reported.
The Saint-Joseph-du-Lac fire department wrote on its Facebook page that it started tackling the fire at around 8 p.m. and assisted Pointe-Calumet firefighters in extinguishing the flames. Oka Mayor Pascal Quevillon told CTV News that the fire was brought under control at around 1 a.m. Sunday.
Stéphane Caron, a prevention and communications coordinator for Quebec's forest fire prevention agency, said a team was deployed to assess the small fire that burned about one hectare.
The Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU) spokesperson told CTV News that it's "very early" to have a forest fire in late March but that "it's still not exceptional. It's a situation that can happen."
"This year with the early disappearance of the snow cover it's a situation that we are prepared for. That's why we already had the forest firefighters on duty and we will see … whether there will be a lot of rain or not during the spring to find out if it will have an impact on the importance of the season," he said in an interview.
"We're talking about a fire that was probably caused by hikers with cigarette butts. Once again, cigarette butts cause fires in Quebec. People don't assess the danger of throwing away cigarettes on the ground."
Passerby saw fire while hiking
A passerby wrote in a post on Facebook that he spotted the fire while walking through the park and then called 911.
Xavier Renolt said he was walking near the north side of the Calvary when he first noticed some smoke in the air. He said he stomped on some small flames but kept walking and noticed more fires.
"I continue on and see a long line of fire, slowly progressing. I give up now, thinking it's time to call the fire department," he wrote.
The park reopened to hikers on Sunday as authorities were still onsite to monitor the situation
According to SOPFEU, parts of western and southern Quebec are currently at a "high" risk of a forest fire, including the Greater Montreal Area, Centre-du-Québec, the Laurentians and the Outaouais. So far, there have been three wildfires in Quebec this year.
A sign warns of an elevated risk of a forest fire in Oka National Park on Sunday, March 31, 2024. (Kelly Greig/CTV News)
The forest fire season typically starts around early April, but SOPFEU had warned it could begin earlier this year as the province has received less snowfall than usual during the winter, making for drier and more fire-prone conditions.
Last year marked the worst recorded forest fire season in Quebec history, with more than 700 fires — most of which were caused by lightning strikes — that burned 4.5 million hectares.
With files from Noovo Info
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he does not regret calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko,' and now his MPs are renewing calls for the House of Commons Speaker to resign, this time over ordering the Official Opposition leader to leave the chamber.
Is it cold, flu or norovirus? Symptoms explained
The highly contagious norovirus is spreading across Canada, with some symptoms overlapping with other viruses. CTVNews.ca spoke with a health expert to find out how you can tell you have norovirus, the most common form of stomach flu, and what to do if you have it.
Doctors dealing with at least 160 Canadians suffering eye damage possibly linked to looking at the eclipse
Nearly a month after the total solar eclipse, at least 160 cases of eye damage have been reported across the country.
Ontario's police watchdog continues probe of high-speed pursuit involving fatal crash
The investigation continues into a collision that killed two grandparents and their infant grandchild during a high-speed police chase on the wrong way of Highway 401 east of Toronto.
Stranded cruise passengers in Spain race to catch up with their ship
A month after eight Norwegian Cruise Line passengers were stranded in Africa when their ship left without them because they were late getting back, a U.S. couple – ages 84 and 81 – were also left behind by the cruise line in Spain.
Blair says he couldn't sell cabinet on meeting 'magical threshold' of NATO target
Defence Minister Bill Blair says he couldn't convince the Liberal cabinet that Canada's government needed to meet NATO's spending target in its recent defence policy update.
London Drugs expected to give update on store status following 'cybersecurity incident'
Days after dozens of London Drugs locations closed due to a 'cybersecurity incident,' a spokesperson for the company says an update on the stores' status is expected Wednesday morning.
No criminal charges after 4 newborn bodies found in Boston freezer
A prosecutor in Massachusetts won't seek criminal charges against anyone, two years after four newborns were found in a freezer in a South Boston apartment.
Anger can harm your blood vessel function, study shows
Stress and anger can have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, studies have shown. New research points to just how the mechanism may work.