Campfire ban in effect across Quebec

Summer is officially here, and with it has come a ban on open fires in and around several forests across the province.

The province's forest fire prevention agency, the Socit de protection des forts contre le feu (SOPFEU), in partnership with the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks announced the ban Tuesday morning.

It went into effect at 8 a.m. and will last until further notice.

Only one forest fire is currently burning in Quebec, according to SOPFEU, but the dry weather conditions and high winds, have stoked concerns that more may start.

The regionsaffected by the ban are:

• Lanaudire.
• Laurentians.
• Outaouais.
• Mauricie.
• North Shore.
• SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean.
• Abitibi-Tmiscamingue.
• Northern Quebec.

Those who break the rules could be fined.

According to SOPFEU, each year about 50 forest fires start due to a campfire that is not properly extinguished or left unattended.