Wildfires in Northwestern Québec | Assistance Arrives from the United States and France

Emprunt de ressources

Québec City, July 17, 2026 – SOPFEU, in collaboration with the Government of Québec, is calling on firefighting resources from the United States and France to help manage the significant workload resulting from the large number of wildfires currently burning in the northwestern part of the province.

A total of 18 U.S. wildland firefighters from Maine, Connecticut and New Hampshire will arrive in Québec on July 17. This deployment is made possible through the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Compact, of which Québec is a member. This mutual aid agreement enables member states and provinces to share firefighting resources when wildfire activity exceeds their operational capacity.

In addition, 43 French wildland firefighters will arrive in Québec on July 18 under a contractual agreement between SOPFEU and the International Union of Wildland Firefighters (UISF). Established in 2024 by the French company AW & Partners, the UISF is a private organization whose mission is to build a specialized force capable of being rapidly deployed to support wildfire suppression efforts around the world.

There are currently 180 active wildfires in Québec, including 18 in the intensive protection zone. Several of these fires are burning deep in the organic soil, making suppression efforts more challenging and time-consuming. The arrival of these qualified and experienced firefighters will help SOPFEU respond to this significant increase in operational demands.

These deployments are in addition to the 42 French wildland firefighters and one crew leader from the private organization, the International Union of Wildland Firefighters (UISF).

Over the years, SOPFEU and its personnel have provided assistance to other jurisdictions on numerous occasions. Today, it is Québec's turn to benefit from the support of experienced colleagues from outside the province.

The Government of Québec, the forest industry, and the major forest landowners and managers who are members of SOPFEU fully support these cooperative efforts.