Quebec is bringing in more than 100 firefighters from other provinces as crews battle 195 active forest fires across the province.
SOPFEU, Quebec’s forest fire prevention and firefighting organization, announced Friday 63 firefighters from British Columbia were expected to arrive that day. Another 21 firefighters from New Brunswick and 17 from Prince Edward Island are scheduled to arrive Saturday.
The reinforcements will support the 640 Quebec forest firefighters and auxiliary combatants already deployed in the field.
According to SOPFEU, 195 fires were burning across Quebec as of Friday, including 13 in the province’s intensive protection zone — the more populated part of the province where fires are actively fought because they pose a potential risk to communities, infrastructure or economic activity.
SOPFEU said many of the fires are burning deep underground, making them more difficult to extinguish.
While none of the current fires are near Montreal, Quebec’s wildfire season has had major effects on the city in recent years. During the record-breaking 2023 wildfire season, smoke from northern Quebec fires blanketed Montreal, triggering air-quality warnings, reducing visibility and forcing the cancellation of several outdoor sporting events.
SOPFEU said the additional personnel are being imported through the Canadian Agreement for Mutual Assistance in the Event of Forest Fires, which allows provinces and territories to share firefighting resources during periods of heightened fire activity.
Quebec has frequently sent resources to assist other provinces in recent years and is now receiving help as it faces a surge in fire activity.