Wildfire risk will increase sharply in certain Quebec regions [Video]

While residents of southern Quebec are mopping up the remains of the deluge caused by the last breath of Hurricane Beryl, the north of the province will be entering a very high forest fire risk zone from Friday.

“We are well aware that there are flooding problems in certain areas to the south, but in certain regions, particularly the Côte-Nord, northern Quebec, the upper Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, north of La Tuque and Abitibi-Témiscamingue, our indices are really increasing significantly,” said Stéphane Caron, prevention coordinator at Quebec’s forest fire prevention agency (SOPFEU).

The vastness of Quebec’s territory means that all extremes can occur at the same time.

On Thursday, the fire risk is generally low or moderate in what SOPFEU calls the intensive protection zone, where there are seven active fires.

In the northern zone, the situation is a little more difficult, with a very high or even extreme risk in the vicinity …