State of emergency declared in Sept Îles due to forest fires

MONTREAL – Nearly 10,000 people will have to be evacuated from Sept-Îles, where a state of emergency was declared Friday morning, due to forest fires threatening the territory. In Chapais, in the Nord-du-Québec region, 1,000 citizens will also have to be evacuated, said Public Security Minister François Bonnardel.

“Low temperatures (and) rain this morning in Sept-Îles are helping a little. The situation is under control for the moment,” said Bonnardel.

Sept-Îles mayor Steeve Beaupré announced the state of emergency at a press conference on Friday morning. The Lac Daigle area began to be evacuated in the morning, and residents of areas east of the municipality’s downtown core will have to leave their homes by 4 p.m. Friday.

An emergency shelter will be opened in Port-Cartier for those unable to stay with relatives.

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“We’re talking about 2,000 (to) 3,000 people who might need shelter right now,” said the Minister of Public Security, saying that civil security teams are in contact with the Red Cross.

“We’re continuing to monitor the situation hour by hour,” said Steeve Beaupré, urging the public to keep abreast of developments, while further measures could be announced during the day on Friday.

The Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU) reports that fires 172 and 215 are threatening Sept-Îles, and that “field work” is being carried out to limit their spread. Tanker missions will also be organized, said Isabelle Gariépy of SOPFEU.

François Bonnardel reported that 107 fires were active Friday morning across Quebec. “We’re prioritizing 20 of these fires to protect the population and our Hydro-Québec infrastructures. We have repatriated all SOPFEU personnel. Nearly 400 people are on the ground,” declared the Minister.

Forestry companies had not been working in the forest since the beginning of the week. The Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, Maïté Blanchette Vézina, announced on Friday that citizens in seven areas are now prohibited from carrying out activities in the forest. These include the Côte-Nord and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean regions, she said, adding that detailed maps would be published later in the day.

The Quebec government has also enlisted the help of other countries, including the United States, Portugal and Mexico, to help control the forest fires, said Blanchette Vézina.

❗️Important. Merci de suivre les consignes❗️
Je suis de tout cœur avec les personnes touchées par les feux de forêt un peu partout au Québec. Merci aux pompiers forestiers pour leur travail et merci à la population de suivre les consignes des autorités. pic.twitter.com/l9uYc5euVW

— François Legault (@francoislegault) June 2, 2023

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 2, 2023.