Seven firefighters from the Society for the Protection of Forests Against Fire (SOPFEU) were near the border between the Outaouais and the Laurentians to control the forest fire.
The fire affected a woodland west of Route 309, between Notre-Dame-du-Laus and Val-des-Bois.
They are employees of SOPFEU who accidentally discovered the fire, Friday around noon, while traveling in the air between Maniwaki and Mont-Tremblant. The firefighters were then taken there by helicopter.
Saturday morning, seven firefighters were in the area. The fire was brought under control around 8 a.m., when it affected an area of eight acres. That’s the area of 16 football pitches. You have to put things into perspective: at this time of the year, eight acres fire, especially when we talk about surface fire, spring fire, it is fire with good surface area.explains prevention and communications officer for SOPFEUMelanie Morin.
Firefighters will continue to work until the fire is completely extinguished.
It would have been started by citizens who burned garbage, believes SOPFEU. No building was affected.
Since Saturday morning, Outaouais has been one of the regions affected by the notice banning open fires in or near forests. As long as the weather is dry and hot, the risk of fire is considered extreme throughout southern Quebec.
Source: Radio-Canada