Achi news desk-
Quebec firefighters were dispatched to Oka provincial park Saturday night to battle a forest fire that was likely caused by a discarded cigarette butt, authorities said.
The fire is believed to have started near the Oka Calvary, a popular hiking spot about 60 kilometers west of Montreal, Noovo Info reported.
The Saint-Joseph-du-Lac fire department wrote on its Facebook page that it began to tackle the fire around 8 pm and assisted Pointe-Calumet firefighters to put out the flames. Oka Mayor Pascal Quevillon told CTV News that the fire was brought under control around 1am on Sunday.
Stéphane Caron, prevention and communications coordinator for the Quebec forest fire prevention agency, said a team was deployed to assess the small fire that burned about a hectare.
A spokesperson for the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU) told CTV News that it is “very early” to have a forest fire at the end of March but “it is still not exceptional. It is a situation that can happen.”
“This year with the early disappearance of the snow cover it’s a situation we’re prepared for. That’s why we already had the forest fire fighters on duty and we’ll see… whether there’s going to be a lot of rain or not during the spring to find out which will have an impact on the importance of the season,” he said in an interview.
“We are talking about a fire that was probably caused by pedestrians with cigarette butts. Once again, cigarette butts cause fires in Quebec. People do not assess the danger of throwing cigarettes on the ground.”
Passerby saw a fire while walking
A passerby wrote in a Facebook post that he saw the fire while walking through the park and then called 911.
Xavier Renault said he was walking near the north side of Calvary when he first noticed smoke in the air. He said he hit some small flames but kept walking and noticed more fires.
“I continue on and see a long line of fire, moving forward slowly. I give up now, thinking it’s time to call the fire department,” he wrote.
The park reopened to pedestrians on Sunday as authorities were still on site to monitor the situation
According to SOPFEU, parts of western and southern Quebec are currently at “high” risk of forest fire, including the Greater Montreal Area, Centre-du-Québec, the Laurentians and the Outaouais. So far, there have been three fireworks in Quebec this year.
A sign warns of a high risk of forest fire in Oka National Park on Sunday, March 31, 2024. (Kelly Greig/CTV News)
Forest fire season usually starts around the beginning of April, but SOPFEU had warned it could start earlier this year as the province received less snow than usual during the winter, making conditions drier and more prone to fire.
Last year marked the worst recorded forest fire season in Quebec history, with more than 700 fires – most of them caused by lightning strikes – that burned 4.5 million hectares.
With files from Noovo Info
