As firefighters rushed to protect communities under threat, more than 160 forest fires continued to burn in Quebec, the vast majority of them out of control, coating much of the province in thick smoke and haze.
The fires prompted air quality warnings across Quebec on Monday morning, including in Montreal, where Environment Canada urged residents to take precautions against smog.
In Sept-Îles, the North Shore town whose outskirts are threatened by fire, Environment Canada issued a severe special air quality statement, urging residents to wear respirators if they had to venture outside and to use air filters to recirculate and clean indoor air.
The
