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Roads into Crown forests re-opened, fire ban still in place

The logo of SOPFEU, featuring a large orange triangle.
With the forest fire situation in the Pontiac region back under control, the roads into Crown forests in the area have reopened as of June 12. Photo courtesy of SOPFEU.
Caleb Nickerson - CHIP - Pontiac • QC | 13-06-2023
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As of yesterday afternoon (June 12), residents are once again allowed to travel into the region's Crown forests, as the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts  has lifted its ban on travel for this section of the province. On June 4, the MRC closed the roads north of latitude 46° 15′ in the Pontiac and ordered anyone in that part of the territory to evacuate.

MRC Pontiac Fire and Public Safety coordinator Julien Gagnon explained that the forest fires in the region were all listed by the SOPFEU (Société de protection des forêts contre le feu) as either contained or extinguished. He added that while the barricades on certain roads may still be in place until workers have a chance to remove them, the roads are now open to the public.

He added that despite the rain that much of the region has received, a fire ban is still in effect until SOPFEU announces otherwise. Currently, there are 113 fires active throughout the province.

This year's fire season has gotten off to quite the start, with 449 reported so far this year, which is more than double the ten-year average (218) for this time of year. The amount of forest affected is also staggering, with a total of 752,081.9 hectares impacted so far this year, compared to the 10-year average of 2,213.4 for this time of year.