After expanding its ban on open fires to cover most of the province, the Quebec government has scaled back the restriction to five regions.
Last week, the government expanded the ban to nine administrative regions citing drying conditions and several wildfires in the province.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Interior Security said it has lifted the restrictions on Côte-Nord, Capitale-Nationale, Mauricie, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean regions based on consultations with the province’s forest fire agency Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU).
Authorities say there are currently nine active forest fires in the Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ) and 178 fires are active in the Northern Zone (NZ). Since the beginning of the season this year, a total of 296 fires have affected 102,488 hectares in the IPZ, and 269 fires have affected more than a half a million hectares in the northern zone.
As of July 13, 6 p.m., the ban on open fires applies to the following areas:
Abitibi-Témiscamingue (08): Témiscamingue (85), Rouyn-Noranda (86), Abitibi-Ouest (87), Abitibi (88), La Vallée-de-l’Or (89).
Lanaudière (14): D’Autray (52), L’Assomption (60), Joliette (61), Matawinie (62), Montcalm (63), Les Moulins (64).
Laurentides (15): Deux-Montagnes (72), Thérèse-De Blainville (73), Mirabel (74), La Rivière-du-Nord (75), Argenteuil (76), Les Pays-d’en-Haut (77), Les Laurentides (78), Antoine-Labelle (79).
Nord-du-Québec (10): Jamésie (991), Kativik Regional Government (992) for its portion west of longitude 77W and south of latitude 56W (Kuujjuarapik), Eeyou Istchee (Waswanipi, Chisasibi, Eastmain, Nemiscau, Waskaganish, Whapmagoostui, Wemindji) (993).
Outaouais (07): Papineau (80), Gatineau (81), Les Collines-de-l’Outaouais (82), La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau (83), Pontiac (84).
An interactive map of the areas covered by the ban can be accessed on the Partenariat Données Québec website.
It is forbidden to light a fire or be on the premises of one in the areas covered by the ban. Violations can result in fines and other penalties, authorities warned.
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