Open fires now banned in these 7 parts of Quebec

A wildfire burning west of Chibougamau, in Northern Quebec is shown in a June 4, 2023 handout photo. Quebec officials say the amount of rain that fell in the northern part of the province where wildfires continue to burn was not significant enough to stamp out the blazes. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-SOPFEU, Audrey Marcoux.

Quebec is banning open fires in or near forests in seven regions across the province due to the current weather conditions.

Quebec’s Public Safety Ministry made the announcement Monday in collaboration with the province’s forest fire prevention agency, SOPFEU.

“The purpose of this ban is to limit the risk of forest fires. Everyone’s cooperation is essential. Therefore, it is prohibited to light or maintain an open fire or to be present at a location where such a fire is burning,” the ministry said in a news release.

The ban took effect Monday at 1 p.m. in these areas:

Abitibi-Témiscamingue

• Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, Abitibi-Ouest, Abitibi, La Vallée-de-l’Or.

Côte-Nord

• La Haute-Côte-Nord, Manicouagan, Sept-Rivières, Caniapiscau for the portion located south of latitude 53° N, Minganie excluding l’île d’Anticosti, Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent.

Laurentides

• Deux-Montagnes, Thérèse-De Blainville, Mirabel, La Rivière-du-Nord, Argenteuil, Les Pays-d’en-Haut, Les Laurentides, Antoine-Labelle.

Mauricie

• La Tuque for the portion located west of longitude 74.5° W.

Nord-du-Québec

• Jamésie with the exception of the area located east of longitude 76.5° W and north of latitude 53° N, Eeyou Istchee (Waswanipi, Mistissini, Oujé-Bougoumou, Chisasibi, Eastmain, Nemiscau, Waskaganish, Wemindji).

Outaouais

• Papineau, Gatineau, Les Collines-de-l’Outaouais, La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau, Pontiac.

Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean

• Maria-Chapdelaine for the area located north of latitude 50° N, Fjord du Saguenay for the area located north of 50° N.

An interactive map of the affected areas is also available online.

Anyone caught violating the fire ban could face fines under the Fire Safety Act.

SOPFEU said there are currently two active wildfires in Quebec but firefighting operations are moving along smoothly and the fires are either contained or under control. Since the start of the season, 177 fires have affected 180 hectares of land in Quebec, which is below the 10-year average for this period.