Authorities in northwestern Quebec have ordered residents of two villages near the Ontario border to vacate their homes as wildfires continue to rage in the region.
Residents of the villages of Valparadi and Beaucanton, with a population of about 340, were given an hour and a half to evacuate on Friday night as fires loomed nearby.
Winds blew the flames away from the village on Friday night, but the fires now burning in Ontario continue to make their way to the area, and the two blazes could become a single fire, local officials said. It is said that the nature is high.
More than 6,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes in northwestern Quebec since Thursday as smoke from fires intensified.
In Obeziwan, an Atikamek community, authorities encouraged people not to enter the forest to check on huts.
A video circulating on social media shows members of the community fleeing the blaze.
© 2023 Canadian Press
