Residential areas around Valle-de-l'Or, Que., are evacuated as fire rages out of control again

As a forest fire again rages out of control, mandatory evacuation notices were sent out Tuesday afternoon to residents of Valle-de-l'Or, Que., a regional municipal county about 500 kilometres northwest of Montreal.

Be they temporary or permanent residents, everybody in the LacGueguen, Lac Matchi-Manitou and Lac Villebon areas are ordered to leave their premises by 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening, for an indefinite period.

The provincial fire service, theSocit de protection des forts contre le feu (SOPFEU), will intercept all evacuees at the Chimo Road exit to register each individual.

Residents who aren't able to make it to the checkpoint are encouraged to register by phone 819-824-9613, ext. 0, or by email at communications@ville.valdor.qc.ca.

Evacuees can also use that phone number and email to get more information.

The municipality of Val-d'Or says on its Facebook page that residents need toprovide their names, addresses and phone numbersand inform the city of where they will be staying in the interim.

Evacuees are encouraged to close doors and windows, unplug electrical and household appliances, leave exterior lights on and bring pets. More instructions can befound here.

SOPFEU says the situation remains unchanged for the other areas, and Val-d'Or's more urban sector is not threatened by the fire.

Preventive measures, including the ban on open fires or driving in the forest, remain in effect.

Val-d'Or says in a Tuesday news release that it will fine people for not complying with the bans.

Another sector,Lebel-sur-Quvillon, Que., is on standby, officials announced Tuesday evening, as an evacuation order may be ordered there as well.Lebel-sur-Quvillonis about 130kilometres north ofVal-d'Or.

The mayor of Lebel-sur-Quvillon, Guy Lafrenire, said during a news briefing that residents whoreturned to their homes as recently as Sunday are safe despite the "impressive" amount of smoke currently found there.

"The smoke conditions are very intense, but you are safe with regard to the fire," he said.

Earlier in the day, he recommended residents wear N95 masks and keep windows and doors closed.

The fire south of the region is behaving as expected and people are safe for the night, he said. However,residents should remain ready to clear out at all times as the municipality remains on pre-alert, he said.