SOPFEU warns of dangers of fire this time of year

SOPFEU warns of dangers of fire this time of year

With the weather warming up over the past few days, Quebec’s forest firefighting agency SOPFEU is warning the public about the dangers of fire this time of year. Communications agent Melanie Morin told CHIP 101.9 that while it might seem counterintuitive, spring is typically the time of year where they see the largest number of fires. While the summer brings larger fires in more remote areas, they are typically not as numerous.

As of Tuesday this week, there have been 154 fires across the province, which is higher than the ten-year average at this time of year, which is 105. Twenty of those fires have been in the Outaouais, with 6.6 hectares affected. In the Pontiac region, there have been seven fires affecting 1.6 hectares of land.

There is currently a fire ban in place across the province, as the SOPFEU has deemed the danger to be very high. She encouraged the public to check with their municipality regarding fire regulations, as the by-laws vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

She explained that at the moment, 100% of the fires that they have recorded so far this year have been human caused, typically from campfires or people burning yard waste. In the Pontiac area, they are centered around the southern portion of the region, near residential areas.

Morin added that up-to-date information on fire bans and other items can be found on their website or by downloading their app.

The full interview with Morin is available here.