Cree community of Mistissini in Quebec under evacuation order

Wildfires and smoke in northern Quebec forced residents of a Cree community in Mistissini to evacuate their homes at 8 a.m. Friday morning.
As of 1 p.m., nearly 1,500 vehicles had left the city, along with six buses carrying about 300 passengers, chief Michael Petawabno said, adding that about 600 vulnerable people had already been evacuated from the area by Tuesday.
The community of about 3,000 people will make its way to Chicoutimi, according to Jason Secapio, who works for Mistissini public safety.
According to the community, the fire is located 28 kilometers from Mistissini.
Petawabno said he was confident the community would be safe from the flames. Canadian soldiers and firefighters from Spain stayed to protect the city and firebreaks had been built, he said. He added that Mistissini is on a peninsula and protected by water.
But even if the infrastructure is saved, the charred forests will have an impact on life in the city. For many people, especially the elderly, the loss of forests — where they used to hunt — is difficult, he said.
“That’s one of the hardest things for our people here. We live off the land and they’re not too happy with all the devastation caused by these fires,” he said. “That’s where you feel the pain.”
La Passion de Rubie animal shelter in Alma will take in up to 60 pets at the Mistissini Sports Complex on Friday morning. Another 40 pets can be taken in by the same shelter if the owners can drive them to Alma.
Fire still out of control
This is reported by the provincial fire department Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU), the fire closest to Mistissini, is still out of control and covers an area of almost 40,000 hectares.
The Cree Nation of Mistissini Council expects the smoke to make it much harder to see in the coming days.
“Sunday is expected to be very heavy smoke. Driving is expected to be difficult due to poor visibility. We have time to carefully evacuate,” says a post on the community’s Facebook page.
Environment Canada issued a special bulletin on Thursday about air quality in the Chibougamau sector. According to meteorologist Jean-Philippe Bégin, the air quality is very bad.
Other communities also had to flee
On Friday afternoon, the northwestern town of Senneterre ordered the evacuation of 60 cottages in a rural area some 30 kilometers north of the city centre. Mayor Nathalie-Ann Pelchat said in an email that winds blew a fire toward the cottages, but added that no other evacuations were expected.
On Thursday, the northern town of Lebel-sur-Quevillon ordered residents to leave after the same fire cut off one of two provincial highways that connect the town to the rest of the province.
It was the second time in less than three weeks that the city had ordered an evacuation because of the fires. Residents were allowed to return on Sunday after a 17-day evacuation earlier this month, but most of the community’s roughly 2,000 residents did not return or left earlier in the week.
For resident Jacynthe Barrette, the second evacuation order was a sign that she made the right decision not to stay in the community when residents were allowed to return. Barrette, who is staying with her sister in Val-d’Or, Que., about 75 miles south of Lebel-sur-Quevillon, said she went back to check her house and get a few things before leaving again.
Barrette said she is not worried about her home, adding that Lebel-sur-Quevillon is protected by water on three sides and that firefighters, including some from outside the country, were hard at work protecting the town.
“What I miss most is getting back to my friends, my normal life, my routine,” she said in an interview Thursday, adding that she missed her involvement in community organizations, including one that helps new immigrants integrate into the community.
There were more than 100 fires in Quebec on Friday, including 24 deemed uncontrollable, the province’s wildfire prevention agency (SOPFEU) said, adding that persistent dry conditions caused fires to gain momentum.
Since the start of the week, seven fires that were contained had once again spun out of control, the agency said.