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There is both major flooding and a high forest fire risk for parts of eastern Ontario and western Quebec late this April.
Quebec’s SOPFEU fire prevention organization said the fire risk in the Outaouais is either very high or extreme.
An extreme risk means people should avoid all fires because of the risk of uncontrollable, high-intensity fires. It’s in place for most of the region.
A very high risk like that for the western Outaouais, such as Fort-Coulonge, means only using certain kinds of fire pits.
There are three active fires in western Quebec, all well under 10 hectares in size and all considered under control.
Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources, which lists fire risks west of Ottawa and north of Kingston, has a high risk around Arden west of Westport and a moderate risk around that for places such as Tweed, Pembroke, Pikwàkanagàn and Carleton Place.
The rest of eastern Ontario is not considered a fire region for this map. There are currently no local fires listed.
The City of Ottawa and National Capital Commission are among the jurisdictions also putting restrictions on outdoor fires. Ottawa Fire Services has sent several news releases about brush fires in recent days.
Fires and floods
The high fire risks come as areas along the Ottawa River experience major flooding that’s been blamed on snowmelt and rainfall. Some other local rivers are also spilling their banks.
“We have a layer of dead vegetation on the ground that’s exposed. As soon as the snow melts and we have dry conditions on the ground, it becomes a threat,” said SOPFEU communications and prevention agent Philippe Bergeron on CBC Radio’s Ottawa Morning on Tuesday.
LISTEN | Bergeron’s full interview:
Ottawa Morning7:08Wildfire season has begun western Quebec
We hear from Philippe Bergeron with the province’s fire prevention agency, SOPFEU, about the current wildfire risk in western Quebec, and what people can do to prevent fires this summer.
Human activity has caused every recent fire in Quebec, Bergeron said, and generally 80 per cent of all forest fires in the province are caused by people.
“Be aware of the situation … Avoid doing a fire when it’s windy. Keep your fire really small,” he said.
The Ottawa International Airport weather station hasn’t recorded any rain since April 18 after a week where it measured about more than 60 millimetres.
Under these circumstances, rain in the near-term forecast has good and bad consequences.
The eastern part of the Ottawa-Gatineau region — communities roughly east of Belleville, Renfrew and Shawville — have a special weather statement for about 20 to 40 millimetres of potential rain Wednesday evening and Thursday.
SOPFEU is expecting a low fire risk by Thursday, while the City of Gatineau said Tuesday morning it cannot rule out another Ottawa River flooding peak because of the rain and snowmelt much further north in the watershed.