Fires stabilizing in Quebec as firefighting crews get reinforcements, says Legault

As forests continue to burn across parts of theprovince and reinforcements start to trickle in, Quebec Premier Franois Legault saysthe situation has stabilized for communities caught in the crosshairs of the wildfires in western and northern Quebec.

"We've had an increase in the number of evacuees. We are at around 13,500, but we think the number will remain the same in the next two days," Legault said on Thursday.

Even though the fires are being held back for now,Legault said the evacuees from the northern communities of Chibougamau and Lebel-sur-Quvillonwould not be able to return home before at least Tuesday.

The situation in the Cree communities of Mistissini and Waswanipi hasnot reached the threshold for an evacuation order, the premier said. However about half of Waswanipi's residents were advised to leavethe village last night and are now hunkering down in Quebec City.

Normtal in the Abitibi region of the province, with a population of about 800,remains most at risk. Flames have been inching towardthe municipality's doorstep, said Legault.

Reinforcements arriving

In addition to 50 or so New Brunswick firefighters coming into Quebec, Legault said 100 firefighters will be arriving from France today, bringing the total number of firefighters in the province to combat the wildfires to 800. The premier said Quebec hopes to get another 400 firefighters on the ground.

Legault thanked southern mayors, like Montreal'sValrie Plante, who have offered to send firefighters. But the premier said the province's fire prevention agency, SOPFEU, cannottake on more firefighters because it does not have the capacity to train them or supervise them right now.

Earlier today, Public Security Minister Franois Bonnardel said, unlikelocal auxiliaryfirefighters or firefighters from Montreal and Laval, the reinforcementsare already trained to fight forest fires and will be able to hit the ground as soon as they arrive.

Quebec is also hoping the U.S. will be willing to furnish some firefighting equipment, as wildfire smoke from Quebec drifts southward creating smoggy conditions.

As of 11 a.m. Thursday, 137 fires were active, down from Wednesday's 149, but most are still out of control. About 35 are being tamed by fire crews, said Bonnardel.

"We're not just crossing our fingers, this shows the professionalism of those on the ground," he said at a news conference Thursday."There have been no injuries in over a week, there have been nodeaths and no homes have burned down in Quebec thanks to this colossal effort."

Fire evacuees 'exhausted but hopeful' as they arrive in Quebec's Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean

1 year ago

Duration 2:18

CBC's Kwabena Oduro gives an update from Roberval, Que., where members of several communities threatened by wildfires are arriving.

Climate change and forest fires

When asked by a journalist about whether the Quebec government should have done more to fight climate changebefore the fires started burning, Legault said the issues of forest fires weren't on the radar.

"During the election campaign, we talked a lot about shoreline erosion. Nobody in the opposition parties or journalists were talking about forests, and then,we were all surprised," he said.

He added the province would adapt its approach as situations evolve and work with municipalities to fight forest fires going forward.

No new evacuations planned

Rain and cooler weather conditions have helped ease fires in the eastern side of the province, and Sept-les, a city in the North Shoreregion of eastern Quebec, ended its state of emergency.But western and northern Quebec havestayed dry and there isno rain forecast until Monday.

In the mining town of Normtalin the Abitibi, SOPFEU crews are keeping the fire at bay just 500 metres from the town and itswater treatment plant. Bonnardel said the situation isbeing closely monitored and is mostly stable, however, temperatures are expected to rise in the coming days.

Karine Pelletier, a spokesperson forSOPFEU,said it is confident it can keep the fire under control.

Over a hundred kilometres away in thesame region of the Abitibi, the Amos detention facility began transferring its inmates to jails in Montreal as a precaution. The city is not considered to be in immediate danger, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

It is estimated thatmore than 638,000 hectares of land have burned so far, most of them in the northern areas of the province,said Bonnardel.

A full list of evacuated municipalities can be found on the Quebec government's website.No other evacuations are planned in the short-term, said Bonnardel, and it's too soon to say when people will be able to go back home.

WATCH | Experts say some parts of province benefited from rainfall:

How the weather is affecting Quebec's forest fires and smog - and what will have to happen to make it all better

1 year ago

Duration 4:19

Environment Canada's experts say some parts of the province benefited from rainfall this week, but the effects may only be temporary. For other areas, the situation may only get worse.