101 forest fires burning in Quebec with 10 out of control

As firefighters struggle to contain fires burning through Quebec’s forests, the province’s fire prevention agency, Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU), is warning Quebecers that more fires are out of control than the agency can handle.

On Friday morning, there were 101 fires with 10 out of control, SOPFEU spokesperson Stéphane Caron told Radio-Canada’s Tout un matin. He added they expect that number to double by the end of the day,

“Right now, with 101 active fires, SOPFEU definitely can’t tackle them all, so there we are having to make priorities,” said Caron, because they only have the capacity to fight 30 fires at a time.

The issue does not stem from a lack of resources but the sheer number of fires burning at once, he said.

“Our priority is the protection of communities people live in and strategic, essential infrastructure.”

The situation in the town of Chapais in northern Quebec — where more than 500 homes were evacuated this week — has improved but the fires near Sept-Îles in the North Shore region of the province are worrying, Caron said.

Protecting Hydro-Québec power lines is also a top priority, he said.

Caron said SOPFEU has asked for help, but with so many crews battling fires in Eastern and Western Canada, it might have to call on foreign firefighting teams.