‘Flames overtaking trees’: thousands evacuated as forest fires rage on across Quebec

Residents of Normétal, a municipality in northwestern Quebec in the Abitibi-Ouest region, have been evacuated due to forest fires, as over 100 rage on across the province.

“The fire broke out at a campsite very very close to the village of Normétal,” says resident Alexandra Bernard-Bois. “It’s a fire that was caused, if I’m not mistaken, by lightning and then the heat and unfortunately, at that time, SOPFEU could not intervene since there were other major fires around.”

Bernard-Bois’ partner is a volunteer firefighter in the region and has been on the frontlines fighting the fire.

Scenes of smoke billowing from a forest fire in Normétal, a municipality in northwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Abitibi-Ouest region. (Photo: Alexandra Bernard-Bois)

Scenes of smoke billowing from a forest fire in Normétal, a municipality in northwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Abitibi-Ouest region. (Photo: Alexandra Bernard-Bois)

“On Saturday, he called me to prepare our things because we would be evacuated,” she said.

Her friend, Isabelle Rancourt-Ouimet was on edge until the evacuation orders.

“I’m a person that’s quite anxious, and the first night, I slept four hours, as I awaited the municipality of Normétal to tell us to leave,” she said. “It was uncertainty, we didn’t know where we were going and then we were evacuated.”

Both Rancourt-Ouimet and Bernard-Bois find themselves among the over 5,000 Quebecers from the region displaced due to forest fires. As of noon Monday, 154 fires were active.

SOPFEU, the body that protects forests from fires, has been on the ground in Abitibi-Ouest, trying to contain the blazes.

RELATED:

• Smog warning for Montreal area due to forest fires in parts of Quebec
• Trudeau, ministers to provide update as wildfires burn across Canada

Rancourt-Ouimet is staying with her mother in La Sarre, about 25 minutes away from the village, while Bernard-Bois is at her sister’s home, just 10 minutes away from the fire, while her partner battles it.

“My partner told me It’s still burning at the campsite, so I went with a friend by car,” she said. “We could see the flames behind the chalets. it was a big cloud of smoke and we were turned around by the firefighters who had to intervene.”

“We saw the smoke, we saw the flames overtaking the trees and coming towards the village with the wind,” she added, as the fire is only about four kilometres from residences.

Open Gallery 6 items