The forest fire threatening the northwestern Quebec city of Normétal has been contained, the province's forest fire service said Sunday, as the fire situation in the province continued to improve.
Nicolas Vigneault, a spokesman for the forest fire service SOPFEU, said the arrival of firefighters from other provinces and from France — as well as soldiers and recently-trained volunteers over the past week — has allowed firefighters to fight the blazes more aggressively.
Quebec premier François Legault said last Monday there were less than 500 firefighters on the ground in the province. The fire is being fought by a team of 40 firefighters from New Brunswick who are working autonomously, he said. "But what we can tell you is that you can recover your home, and that's the good news," she said in a video posted on the city's Facebook page.
But after Cyr's announcement, Blanchette Vézina's spokeswoman Flore Bouchon said in interview that the situation in Chibougamau has improved and that while the province is in agreement about the return, the municipality has final say on the evacuation order.
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