Ministers to deliver update as Quebec forest fires continue to burn

Quebec cabinet ministers are expected to deliver an update Sunday morning on the wildfires raging across far-flung parts of the province, as Canadian Armed Forces members prepare to help fight the threat.

About 2,000 residents of Lebel-sur-Quévillon, about 620 kilometres northwest of Montreal, received a mandatory evacuation notice on Friday evening due to forest fires nearby.

Mayor Guy Lafrenière said Saturday the fire continued to threaten the municipality even though its spread had slowed overnight, as fire prevention teams dug trenches in the smoke-clouded area to protect it.

The evacuation followed relocation orders Friday for some 6,500 residents in parts of the North Shore community of Sept-Îles and the nearby Innu community of Mani-Utenam.

Sept-Îles Mayor Steeve Beaupré said Saturday no new evacuations were planned, but residents of one sector remained on alert.

Quebec forest fire prevention organization SOPFEU reported Saturday there are 134 active fires in the province, including about 20 that are priorities because they threaten residences or infrastructure.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2023.