Forest fires cut off highway, rail line between Quebec and Labrador West
IOC mine idled until at least Friday
Forest fires burning on Quebec's North Shore have severed access to Labrador West, closing the western road and rail routes to the bustling mining region.
Route 389 — the only highway connecting the border region to the rest of Quebec — was closed Sunday evening due to a fire on the North Shore. Quebec towns like Fermont still have access to Newfoundland and Labrador via the Trans-Labrador Highway to the east.
The rail line, connecting Sept-Îles on the North Shore to the mining town of Schefferville at the border, has also been shut down after sustaining minor damage by fire.
Radio-Canada reported shipments of food were flown in to Schefferville on Sunday, and the rail line will be closed "for a preventative period" lasting until Friday. The line is owned by Rio Tinto IOC, with a passenger service offered by Tshiuetin Rail Transportation.
The fire has damaged a telecommunications tower and a fibre-optic line, both belonging to Rio Tinto IOC.
The closure has forced the company to idle its iron ore operation in the region — including the mine, the concentrator and the pellet plant in Labrador City — until the rail line reopens.
"We will focus our energies on maintaining our assets and protecting the railway and our camps," said the company in an emailed statement. "At Sept-Iles, high-risk tasks remain suspended until further notice, in order to prioritize the health and safety of our employees."
The statement says the company's fire brigade is monitoring a bridge and tower, where they've set up a sprinkler system as a precaution.
More than 14,000 residents of Quebec, including people from Sept-Îles and the neighbouring Innu community of Mani-Utenam, have been evacuated from their homes in recent days, . As of Sunday, 47 people had been airlifted to hospitals in Quebec City and Montreal.
with files from Radio-Canada