Chibougamau, Que., residents to return home as firefighters make headway with wildfires

Firefighting crews are switching to offensive mode as they battle wildfires scorching forests mainly in northern and western parts of Quebec.

There are currently 116 active fires in Quebec, including 39 that are out of control — fewer uncontrolled fires than Saturday, Natural Resources and Forests Minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina told a news conference on Sunday morning.

The fires near Chibougamau, Lebel-sur-Quévillon and Normétal will be prioritized, she said.

"With the resources we got from France and New Brunswick, the situation is more safe," but authorities are not yet ready for residents to return home, since they are waiting for more precipitation to put out the fires, Blanchette Vézina said.

More than 730,000 hectares of land south of the northern zone have burned so far.

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"We are making good progress," Stéphane Caron, a spokesperson for the province's fire prevention agency, Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU), said in an interview on Radio-Canada's D'abord l'info on Sunday.

He added that the light rain that fell Saturday on some areas plagued by wildfires was "nothing significant" but could be enough to help prevent the blazes from progressing.

Caron said he hopes that the rain expected on Tuesday over northwestern Quebec will help firefighters and change the situation.

Water bombers are limited in the number of hours they are allowed to be in the air, which Caron said can affect the number of trips they are able to make.

"We had at least one plane that couldn't fly in the last few days because of that, but since we have additional planes, that largely compensates," Caron said.

Usually, SOPFEU can count on 15 planes, but it had four more at its disposal thanks to external help. The agency also has an extra pilot among its ranks from the province's transport ministry. 

SOPFEU spokesperson Nicolas Vigneault said the arrival of firefighters from other provinces and from France — as well as soldiers and recently-trained volunteers — has allowed firefighters to fight the blazes more aggressively.

He said there are now more than 1,200 firefighters battling Quebec's woodland blazes and with no rain expected before Tuesday, Monday would be difficult. 

"We've got to be really careful," he said. "Tomorrow is going to be a challenge because there's been no rain for a while."

At least 2.5 millimetres of rain is needed to have an effect on an active fire, he said.

"So we need quite a lot of rain to have an impact on the fires that are ongoing right now," Vigneault said. 

In Normétal — the Abitibi region of the province — firebreak trenches and preventive watering are helping contain the flames on the outskirts of the city. SOPFEU is waiting to see how the wind shifts in case it puts firefighters at a disadvantage.

On Sunday evening, SOPFEU announced the fire encroaching on Normétal has been contained, but firefighters remain on the ground battling the flames. 

Vigneault said firefighters do not expect the blaze to progress any further.

Blanchette Vezina said it was too early to discuss plans to allow residents back into Normétal, where flames were 500 metres from parts of the community on Saturday, and Lebel-sur-Quevillon, where the fire was only a few kilometres away.

Lebel-sur-Quevillon Mayor Guy Lafreniere said the fire has not moved in the past three days. More than 100 firefighters from the United States are expected to arrive on Tuesday and Wednesday to help fight the fire, he said in a live video broadcast on the city's Facebook page.

Chibougamau residents can prepare to go back home, mayor says

People living in Chibougamau will be able to return home on Monday.

Chibougamau Mayor Manon Cyr told reporters at about noon on Sunday that after looking at indicators, she is "confident we can bring people back to Chibougamau tomorrow." 

The La Dorée access point of Highway 167 will be reopened as of 8 a.m. Monday, she said. 

More than 7,000 evacuees had fled fires near the town in the past week. 

The mayor also said essential services, such as hospitals and grocery stores, will reopen but won't operate at full capacity right away. 

Earlier Sunday, Cyr said that people who are more vulnerable, particularly seniors living in long-term care homes, or people with asthma problems, would have to wait a few more days.

Some in the Cree Nation of Waswanipi, Que., began returning home on Saturday from shelter in Quebec City. 

Waswanipi deputy chief Rhonda Oblin said three buses would be taking residents in good health back home, but those who are most vulnerable or have medical needs will have to stay behind for a little while longer. 

"That gives everybody hope that we will be returning home soon," she said.