All the forest fires still burning in Quebec’s intensive protection zone are currently “contained or under control,” prompting Quebec’s forest fire protection agency SOPFEU to say that “fire-fighting operations are progressing smoothly.”
On Tuesday morning, SOPFEU listed eight forest fires on its interactive map. One, in the Manicouagan region, was contained, while the other seven were under control.
A fire is considered ‘contained’ when its spread is temporarily halted and ‘controlled’ once its spread is stopped by a suppression line.
A ban on open fires in or near forests was put in place last week for parts of Northern Quebec, Côte-Nord, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Mauricie and Abitibi-Témiscamingue, but was lifted in its entirety on Monday afternoon.
Some fires remain under surveillance, however, and SOPFEU operations are ongoing. The situation is a little more difficult in Northern Quebec, where there are 63 active fires.
– This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 16, 2024.