The SOPFEU asks to be cautious

The SOPFEU asks to be cautious

At the start of the week, marked by the return of summer temperatures, the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU) is appealing for caution. Over the next few days, a high pressure ridge will set over the province and bring hot and dry weather to much of Quebec. These weather conditions herald a critical week with increasing fire intensity and spread indices. As a result, the onset of summer weather conditions increases the risk of more intense fires in several regions of Quebec.

At this time of year, people are more engaged in outdoor recreation, such as fishing and forest trips. In this regard, SOPFEU reiterates the importance of properly extinguishing a campfire, of being extra careful with smoking in the forest and of cleaning the hot parts of an ATV used during a walk in the forest. In addition, several residents also take advantage of the good weather to develop their land. The population is therefore asked to be particularly vigilant with the use of fires, to avoid the burning of rubbish or residual materials and to respect their municipality’s regulations concerning open fires and domestic burning.

Since the start of the protection season, 259 fires have been started affecting 116.4 hectares (ha) of forest, 97% of which are attributable to human activity. On average, SOPFEU recorded during this period of the year, 175 fires for 2,841.1 ha of affected forest.