Season review
2024: Prevention at the Heart of SOPFEU's Mission
During the 2024 season, SOPFEU fought 352 wildfires, resulting in 13,884 hectares of forest burned. This represents exactly 100 fewer fires than the ten-year average of 452 wildfires per season in the intensive protection zone (IPZ).
North of the 51st parallel, the situation was quite different, with 166 recorded fires burning 177,306 hectares of forest—nearly three times the annual average in the northern zone.
352
fires- 100 vs 10-Year Average13 884
hectares burned- 104 793 vs 10-year average12
consecutive days without significant rainfall
from May 31 to June 10
12
March 2024
date of the first fire
2
April 2024
date of the tenth fire, indicating the start of the season
20
November 2024
date of the last fire
2023: A Record-Breaking Season for SOPFEU
The year 2023 will mark a historic milestone in the history of Quebec’s forests. During the season, 566 fires burned nearly 1.1 million hectares (ha) in the Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ), and 147 fires destroyed over 3.2 million hectares in the Northern Zone, for a total of 4.3 million hectares, a record never before recorded in the province in the past century. Moreover, the area burned this year, caused 99.9% by lightning, is greater than the total area burned over the past 20 years, regardless of the cause.
566
fires+ 114 vs 10-year average1,1 M
hectares burned+ 981 323 vs 10-year average155
simultaneous active fires
June 4, 2023
193
fires classified as "Out of Control"
during the 2023 Season
101
simultaneous fires classified as "Out of Control"
June 5, 2023
48
large-scale fires
over 1 000 ha
481 991 ha
largest area of a fire
Fire #344 in Lebel-sur-Quévillon
12
fire complexes managed by Major Fire Management Teams
82 x
the average area burned over the last 10 years
370 km
of mechanized firebreak lines built during the season
99,9%
area burned caused by lightning
2023: A Record-Breaking Season!
On October 20, 2024, during the Civil Security Conference, the annual Mérite Awards ceremony took place. On this occasion, SOPFEU was awarded the prestigious Minister's Special Award to recognize the exceptional work carried out by all the teams of our organization during the historic 2023 season.
This award obviously belongs to all SOPFEU employees. It is TOGETHER that we managed to overcome this colossal challenge that presented itself at the end of May 2023.