On May 28, the ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts enacted a ban on open fires in or near forests throughout most of the province, including the Outaouais, due to current weather conditions. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the Pontiac area, as sunny weather with temperatures in the 30s have been forecasted for the week, with no rain in sight.

Melanie Morin, an information agent with Quebec's forest fire fighting agency, SOPFEU, explained that the fire danger index went from high to extreme over the weekend and is expected to remain that way for at least a week.

Morin added that the unseasonably warm weather has created perfect conditions for forest fires.

There are currently 9 ongoing fires in the province, though none are in the Outaouais region. So far this year, across the province there have been 207 fires affecting 354.1 hectares of land, which is up from the 10-year average for this time of year, which is 190 fires affecting 185.6 hectares.

Up to date information on the forest fire situation in the province is available on the SOPFEU's website.

The full interview with Morin is available below: