More forest fires raging in Quebec
Posted July 25, 2023 11:04 am.
Eight forest fires were out of control again over the past weekend in northern Quebec.
However, by Monday the 24 hours of rain in the Jamésie region had contained some of the damage.
The lack of any precipitation on Monday and Tuesday could create problems and the situation in the region remains worrisome.
On Monday, firefighters were mainly battling fires threatening communities or strategic infrastructure, such as Hydro-Quebec facilities or access roads. No community or municipality was directly threatened by the fire.
Firefighters from the U.S. took charge of fires burning north of the Eastmain River. A total of 160 operational resources were on site Monday, including 12 forest firefighters, 120 French forest firefighters and seven helicopters.
Teams were also deployed to Billy Diamond Road, the road linking Matagami and Radisson, which is still threatened by fire. The same is true for Relais 381, a strategic point on the Billy Diamond road to stock up on gasoline.
The access roads to the communities of Waskaganish and Eastmain were also in danger of being attacked by the flames.
Tuesday morning, 70 forest fires were active in the northern zone and 17 in the rest of Quebec.
—This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
