Quebec wildfires: Chibougamau declares state of emergency, orders evacuations

In a sign that the forest fire situation is still critical in Quebec, the town of Chibougamau in Northern Quebec declared a state of emergency and ordered its entire population to evacuate on Tuesday night.

“We’ve had a notice from SOPFEU that the fire has advanced much faster than we would have thought, so we’re asking everyone to evacuate the municipality. We have time, though, so we’re asking you to be careful and leave with as few of your belongings as possible,” announced Mayor Manon Cyr during a speech broadcast live on Facebook at around 8:15 pm.

As a result, some 7,300 residents of the municipality will have to leave their homes. According to Jean Boulet, Minister responsible for Nord-du-Québec, the population of Chibougamau was invited to head for Roberval, about three hours away by car.

“Thank you, citizens, for following the instructions. Courage en ces temps difficiles”, wrote Premier François Legault on Facebook.

Those unable to leave on their own were invited to go to the Chibougamau arena, where buses would pick them up and take them out of town. The Sûreté du Québec will also be patrolling the area to facilitate evacuation.

The municipality has also asked households to fill out a short information document to place on their doors before leaving home, in order to keep a record of the number of people who evacuated.

“I’m with the rest of you, we’ll be monitoring developments throughout the evening. Sorry, we have a schedule change, we’re on emergency measures, and we have to evacuate the municipality preemptively. We really recommend that you do so,” added Ms. Cyr.

The Cree community of Oujé-Bougoumou, also in Nord-du-Québec, must also be evacuated, announced Public Security Minister François Bonnardel.

“Please follow the instructions issued by the authorities. All our thoughts are with the citizens affected,” the minister wrote on Twitter.

In Chapais, where evacuations took place last week, a new early warning had to be issued on Tuesday evening, but the municipality would not be in immediate danger.

“SOPFEU officials have reassured us that the town of Chapais is not currently in danger, since the fire, which originated north of Mistissini, is still several kilometers away. Keep the road clear for all citizens of Chibougamau and the community of Oujé-Bougoumou who must be evacuated this evening,” we posted on Facebook.

Reinforcements expected Wednesday

Earlier on Tuesday, Minister Bonnardel announced that the government’s priorities during this unprecedented forest fire season in northern Quebec are, in order, to save lives, save communities and protect critical infrastructure.

Present in Abitibi-Témiscamingue to take stock of the situation, the Minister added that to the 230 “fire fighters” currently at work in the region to contain the flames, some 250 others will be added as of Wednesday and over the next five days.

Tomorrow [Wednesday], two teams of 21 firefighters will arrive on the ground from New Brunswick, plus another 90 trained auxiliary firefighters,” announced the Minister. By June 12, another 119 firefighters and coordinators will join us.”

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey, meanwhile, has announced that a tanker plane will be sent to Quebec as early as Wednesday, weather conditions permitting.

Seventy-eight separate fires are currently ravaging the region, where no precipitation is expected for the next five days. Authorities are closely monitoring the flames near the municipalities of Normétal, Saint-Lambert and Lebel-sur-Quévillon, said Bonnardel.

We’re also monitoring critical infrastructure,” he continued. There are two power lines in the Parent area that could be problematic. We’re on the lookout.”

The Minister of Public Safety reiterated the importance of staying out of the forests, for safety reasons. “This is not the time to go to the cottage, even to empty it because you’re afraid it’s going to burn,” he ordered.

Hydro-Québec facilities in the Baie-Comeau area are under close surveillance by the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU), which has also carried out work to protect the town of Chibougamau from the flames.

As for the fire currently decimating the Moisie River area, it could take “weeks” before it is brought under control, said the Premier, adding that authorities were planning places to accommodate the population of Val-d’Or, Senneterre and surrounding areas if further evacuations were ordered in this sector of Abitibi-Témiscamingue.

The Premier also reiterated that the fire is too intense in Clova, Haute-Mauricie, to dispatch air tankers. His comments on this subject on Monday had aroused public discontent.

What I said was what SOPFEU told me yesterday [Monday]: that the fire is too important to have a plane there,” Mr. Legault repeated. There’s a risk for now, but what they’re telling me is that most of the houses aren’t affected, that there are only a few cottages affected.”

Lightning to blame

SOPFEU firefighters reported around 10 p.m. on Tuesday that 158 forest fires were active, including nine in the northern zone.

Asked what had triggered all these blazes, the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, Maïté Blanchette Vézina, pointed to lightning as one of the main culprits, while historically forest fires are mostly caused accidentally by humans.

“The situation right now was caused mainly by a storm episode that took place on Thursday. So, about a hundred fires were started at the same time,” said Blanchette Vézina.

According to SOPFEU, fires so far this year have affected more than 600,000 hectares of forest.

The biggest fires, in terms of area, are in the Jamésie region of Northern Quebec, notably the one near Lebel-sur-Quévillon, which covers 60,550 hectares.

This article was translated, first published in French by The Canadian Press, June 6, 2023.