Smoke and smog advisories issued for Prescott-Russell region

Residents across eastern Ontario, including right here in Prescott-Russell, woke up to the strong smell of smoke and a grey haze in the sky on Monday, May 31, courtesy of the forest fires burning in parts of Quebec.

The majority of the fires are burning near La Tuque, Quebec, about 300 kilometres northeast of Montreal.

According to media reports, hundred of concerned residents began inundating regional fire departments with calls about the smoke before 8 a.m. Monday morning.

The Ottawa fire department was kept busy responding to 'multiple calls from clear across the city' about the odour.

A fire dispatcher said the calls were coming from Limoges to as far as Chesterville. By 8 a.m., dispatchers had answered about 100 calls about the smoke and calls were still coming in.
As a result of the smoke and smog, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment has issued a smog advisory for a number of regions, including Prescott-Russell, because of the acrid-smelling smoke.
Those with asthma or other respiratory conditions may experience coughing and shortness of breath during prolonged periods outdoors or while performing heavy exercise.
The fires have forced about 2,500 from their homes.
As of Sunday, May 30, 52 fires ranging in size from one to 40,000 hectares were burning in the province of Quebec, bringing the number of fires Sopfeu has fought in the last week to 128. So far, 90,000 hectares have been burned.
Dennis O'Grady, general manager for the South Nation Conservation Authority (SNC), is getting reports from his staff on the conditions of local forests within the watershed and says there is no cause for alarm in this region.
"This is not unusual," he said. "We've seen this kind of thing before with northern Ontario forest fires."
Environment Canada is predicting that a change in the wind later this evening will blow the smoke north and clear the region.