The federal government said Friday (July 14) it will deploy Canadian Rangers to help evacuate northern Quebec communities threatened by wildfires, as several Cree nations ramped up air evacuations for vulnerable residents.
Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair announced the news on Twitter, adding that the government will also dispatch 鈥渁ir assets鈥� to help fly people to safety.
Writing on Twitter, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa鈥檚 resources will support 鈥渆mergency evacuation efforts.鈥�
鈥淭he wildfire situation across the country remains incredibly serious 鈥� and we continue to provide assistance as needed,鈥� Trudeau said.
Canadian Rangers are part of the Canadian Army Reserve who live in remote, isolated and coastal regions of the country.
The Cree nation of Eastmain, on the east coast of James Bay, began evacuation flights on Friday after declaring a state of emergency due to fires late the day before.
鈥淭his situation is getting worse and now is the time to evacuate and bring our people to safety,鈥� read a notice on the community鈥檚 official Facebook page.
In a Friday afternoon update, an Eastmain spokesman said several flights had departed the community, with more expected Saturday. Leaders were setting up command posts in Eastmain, and the towns of Rouyn-Noranda and Val-d鈥橭r to help offer information and services, the spokesman added.
The Cree Health Board reported that the communities of Nemaska, Waskaganish, Wemindji and Chisabi had started to evacuate vulnerable residents whose health could be at risk.
Waskaganish announced late Thursday that two flights were being arranged to evacuate some residents to Quebec City based on advice from health authorities and the fire prevention agency. Access roads to Waskaganish are closed, the Cree health authority said.
Wemindji closed its administrative office to all but essential personnel because of poor air quality, while several communities warned that services would be reduced. The Cree Grand Council said Thursday that roads leading to several areas were restricted, and that efforts were underway with various levels of government to establish an 鈥渁ir bridge鈥� to ensure the villages receive essential goods and medical supplies.
There were 126 wildfires burning in the province as of Friday afternoon, including 86 in the northern zone where several Cree nations live.
Jos茅e Poitras, a spokesperson for Quebec鈥檚 forest fire prevention agency, said the current fires in the northern zone are fuelled by lightning and dry conditions that allow flames to travel quickly.
鈥淲e鈥檇 like to have rain but it鈥檚 not forecasted,鈥� she said in a phone interview.
She said the flames weren鈥檛 immediately threatening any homes or businesses but could force road closures and cause heavy smoke that is harmful to people鈥檚 health.
As of Friday, she said that more than 2.6 million hectares of forest had burned in the province鈥檚 northern zone, which is 10 times more than usual for this time of year.
Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press
Like us on and follow us on .
