Stay out of the woods as wildfire threat grows, Quebec government declares

The Quebec government is asking people to stay out of the woods in the coming days in order to prevent more forest fires in the province.

The Natural Resources and Forests Ministry and the Public Security Ministry issued the noticed Thursday as hot and dry weather conditions descend on several regions.

The entire population of Quebec is being asked to heed the advice as the province continues to face “a situation conducive to forest fires.”

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Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said he is monitoring the situation “very closely” and advised residents to follow the recommendations.

“I would also like to thank workers fighting the fires,” he wrote on Twitter.

Quebec’s forest fire prevention agency, known as SOPFEU, reported 13 active fires in the province Thursday morning. Meanwhile, authorities say the situation is improving in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region, about 250 kilometres north of Quebec City, where two fires were declared under control and a third was contained.

In the afternoon, Hydro-Québec said the fires were affecting the power grid — leaving about 250,000 customers in the dark across the province.

“We currently have two transmission lines unavailable for this reason, but our equipment has not been damaged,” the public utility wrote on social media.

“The smoke and heat have triggered protective mechanisms on the network. Power is being restored gradually.”

A raging forest fire forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes Wednesday evening in the southern half of Chapais, a municipality located about 500 kilometres north of Quebec City. Local officials didn’t say how many people had to leave their homes, but the Chibougamau arena is open for displaced residents.

Urgence Québec said non-evacuated residences should take precautions against smoke from the fire. The agency said people should stay inside, close their windows and keep their pets indoors.

Chapais municipal officials took to Facebook early Thursday to say both the elementary and high school overseen by the Centre de Services Scolaire de la Baie-James are closed for the day.

SOPFEU has also issued a ban on open fires in forested areas across the province. It was extended Tuesday to include Montreal and surrounding regions.

Multiple wildfires are burning across Canada, including in Nova Scotia and Alberta.

— with files from The Canadian Press