SOPFEU: far fewer June fires than average

SOPFEU: far fewer June fires than average

Like spring, June proved to be a quiet month for Quebec’s forest fire fighting agency SOPFEU, with a third of the average number of fires for this time of year. Over the past month, the organization recorded 33 fires affecting 25.5 hectares of forest in the Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ), compared with a ten-year average of 102.7 fires. It should also be noted that 97% of the fires recorded in June were caused by human activity.

The low number of fires can be explained in part by the frequent rainy spells throughout the province during the month. There were a few periods of sunshine and drier conditions, but no major fire outbreaks.

The largest fire recorded in June originated in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, which burned an area of 10.4 ha of forest and was caused by lightening. All other fires were caused by human negligence.

The situation that prevailed in Quebec during the month of June enabled SOPFEU, in collaboration with the Quebec government, to lend its support to the other Canadian provinces, which had to contend with a large number of fires and significant areas affected. In June alone, nearly 160 forest firefighters were deployed to Manitoba on two successive missions.