Ban on open fires in or near forests in Outaouais

Ban on open fires in or near forests in Outaouais

It is now forbidden to make open fires in the forest or nearby on the entire territory of the Outaouais, including in the MRC Pontiac.

The Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks and the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU) have extended their prohibition measures, given the disappearance of the snow cover in southern Quebec.

This ban on open fires also aims to preserve the operational capacity of SOPFEU and that of municipal fire safety services during the pandemic, by limiting the risks of spread of COVID-19 when firefighters respond to alerts.

Some of the Pontiac municipalities had already announced a ban on setting fires in their areas for the same reasons, notably in Mansfield-et-Pontefract and l’Ile-du-Grand-Calumet.

Offenders can get a fine ranging from $500 to $50,000, in addition to the payment of an invoice, in certain circumstances, according to the section 239 of the Sustainable Forest Development Act (chapter A-18.1).

Currently, no fire is active in Quebec. The fire danger in the MRC Pontiac is noted as “high” in the coming days.

SOPFEU requests everyone’s collaboration so that the ban on open fires in the forest is respected.