MONTREAL — Thousands of Quebecers who were forced by out-of-control wildfires to evacuate their towns were starting to return home on Monday, as a contingent of more than 1,200 firefighters continued to make headway in the battle to contain the blazes.
“The situation is improving in a lot of areas,” Premier François Legault told reporters at an announcement in Saguenay, Que.
Those returning home on Monday include the approximately 7,500 residents of Chibougamau, 500 kilometres northwest of Quebec City. Legault said residents of several Indigenous communities were also expected to start returning home, including Lac-Simon, Oujé-Bougoumou, Waswanipi, Obedjiwan and Lac-Barrière.
In Chibougamau, a first convoy of residents was escorted into town by provincial police officers shortly after the road to the city reopened at around 8 a.m., according to the city’s official Facebook page.
Mayor Manon Cyr warned Sunday that the local hospital will only be providing basic services, grocery stores may not have been restocked and there is still smoke in the air, and the city suggested that those who can wait another day or two to return should do so.
Legault said there should be fewer than 4,000 evacuees remaining by the end of the day on Monday, down from a peak of more than 13,500 on Friday.
He said the northwestern Quebec town of Lebel-sur-Quévillon remained under evacuation as of Monday morning, as did Normétal, where firefighters managed on Sunday to contain a blaze that had come within 500 metres of the town.
Legault said there were more than 1,200 people fighting fires across the province, including reinforcements from New Brunswick and France. Another 100 firefighters from the United States are expected to arrive in the coming days along with more than 200 from Portugal and Spain.
The province’s forest fire service, SOPFEU, said the arrival of reinforcements has allowed firefighters to fight the blazes more aggressively.
However, experts have warned that shifts in the wind or weather could once again raise the danger level.
Environment Canada meteorologist Gerald Cheng said some rain is expected in the areas affected by fires but that “unfortunately, this rain could be accompanied by lightning,” which could cause new fires and pose a challenge for firefighters.
Quebec has been having a record wildfire season with 449 fires to date, including 130 burning as of Monday morning.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2023.
Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press
