Several areas in the province have flammability ratings ranging from “very high” to “extreme,” the ministry said in a statement. Low precipitation and rising temperatures explain this significant fire hazard.

Several regions therefore remain under “high surveillance”, namely Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord, Nord-du-Québec and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean.

“The Society for the Protection of Forests from Fires (SOPFEU) is currently fighting 81 active fires in the intensive care zone, of which 25 are out of control and 43 are priority,” the public security document said.

According to SOPFEU, 114 forest fires were active in Quebec on Saturday morning, 82 of them in the intensive zone.

The goal is still to fight priority fires to protect communities and certain strategic infrastructure, but new communities have had little choice but to evacuate in the past few hours.

Several sectors of Senneterre, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, were notably the subject of an evacuation notice on Friday afternoon. Residents of Chemin du Millage 20, de la Chute, des Pionniers, Dion and Ménard had until 5 p.m. Friday to leave their homes, the city said on its Facebook page.

In the evening, it was the turn of the Valcanton municipality in North-du-Québec to order the evacuation of the Beaucanton, Val-Paradis and Lac Pajegasque sectors.

Residents of the Cree community of Mistissini, northeast of Chibougamau, were forced to evacuate their area Friday morning. The approximately 3,800 Aborigines living there were relegated to Saguenay.

Citizens residing in certain sectors of the city of Val-d’Or in Abitibi-Témiscamingue have also been evacuated since Tuesday.

Rain is expected in Lebel-sur-Quévillon

In Lebel-sur-Quévillon, in Jamésie, a total evacuation took place on Thursday evening as two major fires threatened one of the two roads that connect the small commune to the rest of the province.

The mayor of the municipality, Guy Lafrenière, clarified in a video published on the municipality’s Facebook page on Saturday morning that the fire of 256 threatening the north of Lebel-sur-Quévillon was “stable”.

Fire 344 east of the community “behaved as expected,” according to the mayor. SOPFEU teams have been conducting fire work in the area for the past two days to try to divert the fire’s trajectory.

“There is a significant benefit in protecting Route 113 South,” which is still closed to traffic, Mr. Lafrenière said.

However, “smoke development in the city will continue to be intense, the weather report tells us that temperatures will also be very high today.” [samedi] ‘ said the mayor.

Lebel-sur-Quévillon expects rain “in sufficient quantity” on Tuesday or even Wednesday, Mr Lafrenière said, giving him hope of bringing “good news” to residents soon.

Lebel-sur-Quévillon was affected by a power outage for an hour on Friday. Mayor Lafrenière urged the population not to worry about the contents of their fridge as the glitch in the community was short-lived.

No further evacuation planned in Senneterre

New evacuations are not planned in Senneterre for the next two days, community emergency response coordinator Marilyne Fournier announced during a press conference on Saturday afternoon.

“I can’t guarantee you there won’t be an evacuation, but that’s not on our radar right now,” she said.

Mayor Nathalie Ann Pelchat also said air quality was “very poor” on Saturday and urged people to stay indoors. She recalled the ban on open fire and recommended citizens who want to celebrate the national day to do so safely in their homes.

“For people who like to come and breathe better air […] You can come to La Concorde High School until 9 p.m. tonight [samedi] ” also specified Mr^Me Fournier said a “good air” room had been set up at the school. This service will also be open on Sunday.

smog warnings

On Saturday morning, Environment Canada issued smog warnings and special air quality weather reports for nearly all regions of Quebec, except for areas along the St. Lawrence Valley.

” [Samedi] A cloud of fine particles in high to very high concentrations will maintain its trajectory and will continue to affect the Côte-Nord, Gaspésie, Nord-du-Québec, Saguenay−Lac-Saint-Jean and Terres-cries -de-la- regions. Baie-James” also ensured public safety in the morning.

For example, smog warnings were introduced in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, as well as in Rivière-du-Loup, Trois-Pistoles, La Tuque and Mont-Laurier.

“Smoke from forest fires, even in low concentrations, can be harmful to health. “Everyone can take steps to reduce their exposure to wildfire smoke,” Environment Canada said in its smog alert.

Among other things, the federal agency recommends reducing your activity level if you experience difficulty breathing, wearing a properly fitted respirator, such as an N95 respirator, and reducing sources of indoor air pollution.

According to Environment Canada, people with lung conditions such as asthma or heart disease, the elderly, children, pregnant women and people who work outdoors are at higher risk of health effects from smoke.

Several other sectors are also subject to a special weather report intended to warn the population of poor air quality. Such bulletins were published from east to west of Quebec and even reached Newfoundland and Labrador.