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Fire risk rises as vacation season gets hot

Fire risk rises as vacation season gets hot

20 July 2018 à 12:00 am

Due to the increase in visitors to the forest with to the start of the vacation season, as well as warm temperatures and low precipitation in the forecast, the Society for the Protection of Forests Against Fire (SOPFEU) is preparing to see a rise in fires started by people. SOPFEU therefore emphasizes the importance of the cooperation of the public during this period.
The fire risks will increase over the weekend to a very high, if not extreme level in most of the province. Under these circumstances, SOPFEU recommends:
– use fireplaces fitted with a spark screens,
– use marked trails during ATV rides,
– not to smoke in the forest,
– to refrain from burning waste,
– avoid lighting fireworks near wooded areas.

For several weeks, SOPFEU’s teams, along with partners from across Canada and the United States, have been mobilized to control the many fires ignited by lightning in the province. Vigilance and caution must be at the ready to prevent new fires from being added to the list of active fires.

Since the beginning of the season, 427 fires have burned 28,404 hectares of forest in an intensive protection zone. In comparison, the average of the last ten years up to this time of the season is 301 fires impacting an area of 33 958 hectares.