The Township of Greater Madawaska in eastern Ontario said people with homes around Centennial Lake have been asked to leave because of a forest fire that started Sunday afternoon.
According to Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, the fire broke out shortly after 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
The township said in a news release late Sunday night its fire department was called to a fire “located on Centennial Lake which then expanded to shore.”
“Our team in co-ordination with the OPP have evacuated the surrounding areas of seasonal residents with a 24-hour evacuation notice,” the township said.
Residents who need help with the fire can call the township from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 613-752-2222 and send an email after opening hours.
The province has a fire ban in place for Renfrew County. It and all surrounding counties except for Ottawa have an extreme fire risk, the highest level on Ontario’s four-level scale.
Ottawa, which isn’t in one of these Ontario fire regions, has its own ban. Quebec has restricted access to some forests and parks.
Centennial Lake is approximately 50 kilometres west of Calabogie and 170 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa.
Smog warnings, advisories
Environment Canada says smoke from forest fires in Ontario and Quebec is causing poor air quality in Renfrew County and some surrounding areas.
Communities north and east of Gatineau, Que., have a smog warning.
This means people with respiratory conditions or heart disease should avoid intense outdoor physical activity while a smog warning is in place, it says.
People in smoky areas should be wary of exerting themselves too much in lower air quality and consider keeping windows closed, running HEPA filters and wearing a well-fitted N95-type mask to filter out particles from smoke.
Ottawa had record-breaking heat last week and hasn’t recorded any rain at its international airport since May 24.
This comes after significant spring flooding along some parts of the Ottawa River earlier in spring because of the amount of snow over the winter, then that melt meeting a surge of rain in late April.
